New Anti-Drowning Tech Designed To Save Children
Drowning Is Leading Cause Of Death For Kids Under Age 5
POSTED: Friday, July 25, 2008
UPDATED: 11:56 pm EDT July 25,
2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- New technology is being tested in Florida to help stop home pool drownings -- the leading cause of accidental death for children under age 5.The Swim Alert sensing alarm detects underwater immersion rather than surfaces disturbances.It has been successful in Europe and was recently tested and approved by Good Housekeeping.Local 6 reported that the system avoids false alarms and resets after a disturbance is detected.The alarm sounds in six seconds or less. The standard is 20 seconds.The detection technology is designed for private pools and for saving children.The report featured 13-month-old Joey Cosmillo, who fell into his grandparents' Central Florida home pool in 2007.The accident caused brain damage and left Joey paralyzed.The boy's grandmother, Maggie, said she received a frantic call about the accident."I didn't even recognize his voice," Cosmillo said. "He was screaming and crying to get home, get home, it is Joey. He drowned.Cosmillo said Joey must have pushed open the back door before falling into the pool.She said she could not afford a child-gate alarm but the new system can be purchased for less than $300.Cosmillo said the detection system may have made the critical difference, Holfeld reported.Experts said how long a child is submerged underwater can mean the difference between survival, brain damage or death.If a child is under for 1 minute, there is a 95 percent chance of survival, according to experts. However, with each passing minute, that chance slips away, Local 6's Mike Holfeld reported.Bill Whitehurst is traveling the country introducing the new pool alarms."The leading cause of death of children between the ages of 1 and 4 is accidental drowning," Whitehurst said.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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