THE Victorian Drowning Report for 2016\/2017 shows 45 people lost their lives to drowning in Victoria, a 20 per cent increase on the 10-year average.<\/p>\n
The report also reveals, compared to the 10-year average, a 6 per cent increase in the drowning rate for children aged 0-4 years, a 25 per cent increase for young adults aged 15-24 years, an 18 per cent increase for adults aged 25-44 years and a 45 per cent increase for adults aged 65 years and over.<\/p>\n
The launch of the report on Monday also included the latest recipients of the \u201cEveryday Lifesaver\u201d award, which recognises people who have used their lifesaving and water-safety skills to perform a significant rescue or save somebody\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
These include 12-year-old Nipper Mila Guerrero, who put her training into action to save the lives of two tourists caught in a rip in water off Lorne last summer.<\/p>\n
She instructed the pair to hold onto her surfboard and pulled them out of the water one by one.<\/p>\n
The Victorian Drowning Report provides, for the first time, snapshots of drowning in public swimming pools, as well as children drowning in home pools.<\/p>\n
Both have been identified as key priority areas for action and will be areas of significant focus in drowning prevention activities for 2017\/18, with a need to improve pool barrier requirements and highlight the importance of supervision.<\/p>\n
Life Saving Victoria\u2019s principal research associate Dr Bernadette Matthews compiled the report and says paramedics also attended 54 non-fatal drowning incidents in Victoria during the period, bringing the number of drowning incidents across the state to 99.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrownings are shocking to both families of the victims and the public, especially because each drowning could have been prevented.<\/p>\n
\u201cNon-fatal drownings gain less attention, but they also have far-reaching effects on families and also on the victims, who may never fully recover.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Victorian Drowning Report for 2016\/2017 shows 45 people lost their lives to drowning in Victoria, a 20 per cent increase on the 10-year average. The report also reveals, compared to the 10-year average, a 6 per cent increase in the drowning rate for children aged 0-4 years, a 25 per cent increase for young […]<\/p>\n