According to the organization Stop Drowning Now, drowning is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, especially among children.
Drowning is still one of the most serious water safety threats facing children today and the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5-14. Each year, more than 4,000 people die from unintentional drowning in the United States overall.
National Drowning Prevention Week 2026 took place from July 19 to July 25, 2026. Organized by the Lifesaving Society, this annual event focused on the theme "Prepare to be Water Smart."
Pool Scouts of Chattanooga owner Sonya St. Cin said the week may have passed but with summer still going strong. People are seeking relief from the heat by taking dips in the pool, so, awareness should still be on everyone’s mind.
She started her pool maintenance company last year serving Hamilton County. While the focus of her company is maintaining the cleanliness of pools, safety is also a top priority. St. Cin said the color of your child’s bathing suit is paramount to their safety.
“Stay away from blue and green,” St. Cin said. “Look for ones that are bright pink, orange and yellow.”
St. Cin said studies have shown that bathing suits that are blue, white, dark green and navy colored are less visible underwater, blending directly into reflections, tiles, or surface glare. She noted that homeowners with pools should install extra safeguards to prevent accidental drowning.
“If you have young children you should look into one of the fences that goes around the pool so it can be completely enclosed on all four sides and has a self-latching lock,” she said.
St. Cin said her company can provide referrals to contractors she trusts to install fencing around the perimeter of the pool. If you have a gathering of people at your home St. Cin said you should assign one person at a time to watch over all pool activities.
“Give them a physical object in their hand or a lanyard on them that they can hold so that they know they're the one who's in charge,” she said. “If needed take turns assigning who is the next person in charge and let everyone know who the assigned watcher for that time frame is.”
Maintaining a health pool environment is also an important safety factor to avoid any possible infections.
“Water quality is important because a non-maintained pool can carry bacteria so it’s important to keep everything maintained and sanitized,” she said.
St. Cin said being proactive and vigilant can help prevent a tragedy.
“Just last year, we had someone on our own street that had a child drown,” she said. “It not only took the life of the child but due to the loss and the guilt that goes with that it has changed that family forever.
St. Cin and her team are ready to get your pools up to par for the rest of the summer and give back to the community by educating others on ways to avoid drownings. Give her office a call to set up an appointment.
Pool Scouts of Chattanooga
- Website: poolscouts.com/chattanooga/
- Office number: (423) 275-6864