Florida leads nation in drowning deaths, North Port teaches water safety

NORTH PORT, Fla. (WINK)— Paige Burke, a lifeguard at the North Port Aquatic Center, swam on a competitive swim team for about 11 years, from when she was a kid all the way through high school. Now, the skills she learned in the water are helping keep others stay safe around it.

"Just being comfortable around the water, knowing all the skills in swim, knowing how important swim is, knowing how strong swimmers are," Burke said.

That job is more important than ever. Devon Poulos, aquatics manager at the North Port Aquatic Center, said Florida is leading the nation when it comes to drowning deaths that are occurring, and it's not just kids anymore — adults are drowning as well.

Burke and the rest of the aquatics staff train constantly for emergencies they hope never happen. "We do trainings monthly," Burke said. "We're always having in services. We use the full facility. We'll go around, do scenarios, practice little things, such as just jumping in the water, how to jump in, how to hold someone, how to run from one stand to another."

Drowning doesn't always look the way people expect. "Some of the misconceptions is that number one, drowning is loud, and it's a lot of splashing," Poulos said. "We know that over 80% of drownings occur when it's silent."

A watchful eye can make all the difference. Next Thursday, the World's Largest Swimming Lesson will be held at the North Port Aquatic Center, where people can learn alongside guards just like Burke, and under the nose of certified water safety instructors.It's a free event to raise awareness on the life-saving importance of swim lessons.