Drowning is responsible for over 4,000 deaths annually in the United States, making it the third leading cause of death for children. On top of that, almost 80% of children in households with incomes lower than $50,000 have little to no swimming abilities. In Oregon, the majority of drowning incidents occur in natural bodies of water. Drowning impacts around 300,000 people globally, and is rising in occurrence annually. The World Health Organization considers drowning a crisis. The question arises: What steps are being taken to combat rising drowning deaths, educate people about water safety, and help families in need?
The WaterStrong Initiative is a non-profit organization that works to educate families about water safety, as well as how they can keep their local natural bodies of water clean and healthy. The initiative was founded by Dena Marshall in 2016, after several devastating drownings that took place at a lake near her home. In response to the incident, Marshall has made it WaterStrong’s mission to “end drowning and promote safer waters.” The organization aims to help lower income families who are seeking education about the environment and their role to play in understanding and protecting Oregon waters.
With that goal in mind, WaterStrong spread globally in the first three years, operating in Peru, the Bahamas, Vietnam, and the Dominican Republic — but operations were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as a solely Oregon-based program, they supply life jackets to families in need, training for CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) certification, and cover basic swim lessons during their Eco-Swim Clinics for participants five years or older.
Eco-Swim Clinics are offered monthly, and are free to all who are eligible. These three-hour sessions consist of water safety lessons, environmental mindfulness, and survival swimming teachings. “We’re really just focusing on the fundamental skills,” Marshall explains. “WaterStrong is not an advocacy organization, it is [for] education.” Some of the educational activities listed in the program include beach cleanups, water testing, and building miniature terrarium ecosystems with families. Participants also learn basic water safety skills, such as how to use a life jacket properly.
Behind every lesson, the hands of WaterStrong volunteers are dedicated to making an impact. Volunteers are assigned to help out with in-water lessons, out-of-water environmental projects, and assist families and children by providing snacks and keeping track of time. If you are interested, but are not sure what you’d like to participate in, WaterStrong strives to help you feel more comfortable. “We can basically plug volunteers in anywhere,” Marshall says. “If you feel [better about] doing the environmental education … we can definitely do that.” At the end of the day, all volunteers will receive a swim cap, t-shirt, and “the experience of building a lifesaving connection with the water,” says Marshall.
As far as certifications and training, WaterStrong also holds first aid, CPR, and AED certification classes for ages 12 and up. The certificate earned is valid for two years, and the class duration is approximately six hours, depending on the time of day. For their lifeguard training, certification can take up to three and a half days. Participants will learn how to perform basic first aid. This includes noticing the signs and practicing how to deal with burns, cuts, scrapes, and sudden illness; neck, head and back injuries; heat and cold emergencies; and how to respond appropriately to breathing and cardiac emergencies for all ages.
While WaterStrong education programs make a big impact, their efforts go beyond the classrooms. Partnering with Oregon’s Metro Parks and Nature department — which has helped them raise awareness about life jacket necessity and get the life jackets to distribute among the community — they have continued to grow their organization.
“Every year, dozens of Oregonians drown in rivers, lakes and on the coast,” explains Cory Eldridge, the community engagement program manager at Metro Parks and Nature. “Nearly all of these tragedies could have been prevented if the person was wearing a life jacket. Unfortunately, most people don’t know they should wear a life jacket or they don’t have access to one.” In response, Metro has aimed to distribute life jackets at “loaner stations” around their parks, and hand them out at community events and partner with other water safety organizations like WaterStrong to “get jackets onto as many people as [they] can.”
Furthermore, an article published by the Trauma Research Center at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences mentions socioeconomic factors and their effects on drowning: “[D]rowning also takes a tremendous financial toll on affected families and society as a whole. A previous study showed that in low and middle income countries, the rate of drowning was more frequent in lower socioeconomic families and in areas with lower educational levels.” This gap between the knowledge of water and a person’s financial situation applies heavily to recreational water spaces. If a family doesn’t get the proper guidance about water safety due to their financial position, as stated by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, these are “the risk factors for drowning.”
The polarity between wealth and water is one of the main issues Marshall wants to address with WaterStrong. “With barriers to [water recreation resources and knowledge of the water], … [h]igher income families with means and resources have access, and lower income families [do not],” Marshall states. “When [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] activity was really ticking upward, and there [was] a lot of immigration crackdowns … it had a direct impact on the families we serve … [they] were afraid to leave their homes.” In response, Marshall wants to expand the WaterStong curriculum and continue to educate communities about water safety and their role to play in keeping the environment healthy.
Ultimately, counteracting drowning is easier than most realize. With the right knowledge, anyone could notice the signs of drowning and save a life. Learning basic water safety skills, getting CPR certified, or wearing a life jacket could help save a life. “Most drownings are preventable,” Marshall concludes. “Let’s get life jackets into families’ homes and make wearing them as normal as buckling a seat belt.”
