Water Safety Coalition offers tips to prevent drowning

Local leaders previously gathered for the Water Safety Summit to discuss how to prevent drownings and aquatic injuries statewide. 

The Summit brought together not only local leaders but state leaders as well, plus water safety experts advocates with the goal of building partnerships for drowning and aquatic injury prevention across California. 

Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.

The Summit included the formal launch of the newly incorporated California Water Safety Coalition (CWSC), an organization that connects the various water safety stakeholders in the state to advance best practices in education, policies and programs that seek to prevent drowning. 

The Summit was a joint collaboration between The ZAC Foundation and the Ben Carlson Memorial & Scholarship Foundation.

Approximately 400 drowning deaths occur annually in California, in addition to non-fatal events resulting in another 400 hospitalizations and over 1,000 ER visits per year. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 in the U.S. after birth defects. Nationally, for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.