A New Jersey nonprofit has launched an initiative seeking to reduce death by drowning by 30% by 2030 just as summer is about to kick into full gear.
Drowning is a national epidemic — and the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 across the country as well as the second leading cause of unintentional injury for those ages 5-14.
The Garden State, with rich aquatic resources including miles of coastline and a bounty of lakes, rivers, pools and water parks, sees an average of 64 drowning deaths each year, 10 of which are children under 14.
The New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance (NJSSA), a nonprofit dedicated to saving lives through education and awareness, has established a coalition of water safety experts working to reduce death by drowning by 30% by the year 2030.
This collaborative approach, through a series of summits, conferences and panel discussions, have formulated a six-point game plan to ensure fewer families will know the tragedy of losing a loved one to drowning, called the New Jersey Water Safety Strategy.
“At NJSSA, we believe that swimming is an essential life skill that every child should have access to, and we are resolute in our mission to reduce drowning incidents in New Jersey by 30% by 2030,” wrote Cait Waxler and Lynda Tower, the board chair and executive director of NJSSA.
“While this seems like a simple thing, drowning is a danger that most people do not think about. The New Jersey Water Safety Strategy has transformed our ambitious objective into a strategic plan. It reflects not only our commitment to saving lives, but also our dedication to fostering a collaborative culture of water safety throughout the state.”
The first major step is creating a reliable, comprehensive database including all New Jersey drowning deaths, broken out by body of water, ethnicity, age and gender, including survivors who are dealing with lifetime effects.
The data will be shared among key stakeholders to support informed decision-making and collaborative efforts.
A public awareness campaign — including events like the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson and National Water Safety Month — will seek to achieve 100% awareness in New Jersey and elevate water safety to an essential life skill.
The coalition will also work to identify the root causes of drowning in the Garden State and develop tactics to proactively prevent it, establishing action-oriented messaging around water safety and providing resources for families seeking low-cost or free swim lessons.
Lifeguards are at the front lines of preventing deaths by drowning, and the strategy will include efforts to elevate and support New Jersey’s lifeguards, from open water to pools and water parks, both public and private, with class-leading training and development programs.
NJSSA will build out the financial infrastructure needed to support the New Jersey Water Safety Strategy long-term, creating a unified voice for water safety with a central facilitator of information and services from existing aquatic agencies.
Collaboration will be a key component of achieving the coalition’s goals, including aligning state authorities, local municipalities and private aquatic facilities statewide. This united force will not only share information and resources, but speak with one educated voice to reduce New Jersey drowning deaths.
“The presence of water safety groups in the absence of a coordinated effort between them has not been enough to stop this epidemic,” wrote NJSSA founding member Chuck Warner.
“The New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance was founded to build our various aquatic groups into a family. A family that works in concert with one another to slow and even stop this senseless loss of life and serious impairments.”