David Crippen can tell you exactly how not to save someone struggling in water.
One time, when Crippen worked as a lifeguard, a mother and a daughter ventured into the deep end. The mother started struggling and pushed her daughter. Then they both started drowning. Crippen jumped in to save them.
“The kid was so mad at the mom, and the mom is crying, and the kid is just yelling at her,” Crippen said with a laugh.
But not all scary water situations can turn into joking matters like that situation has over time. That’s why Crippen, the 32-year-old aquatic director at Lacamas Athletic Club, is teaching free, 45-minute monthly swim safety classes for kids at the Club. Classes are scheduled for March 23, April 27, May 25 and June 22. The age range is generally broken up between two Saturday classes: one for ages 6 and younger; another for ages 7 and older.
“It’s about getting them relaxed and comfortable,” Crippen said. “We’ve just always wanted to promote child safety for water.”
If you go
What: Swim safety class.
When: Classes are scheduled for March 23, April 27, May 25 and June 22.
Where: Lacamas Athletic Club, 2950 N.W. 38th Ave., Camas.
Cost: Free.
Information: 360-834-8506 to register.
According to Clark County Public Health’s website, about 4,000 drowning deaths happen in the U.S. each year, and drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for children and teenagers 1 to 14 years old. It’s the second overall leading cause of deaths children 1 to 4 years old; on average, 25 children and teens drown in Washington each year.
Kids work on a number of different techniques in the class to help themselves and others stay safe in the water. They learn how to use life jackets, about the importance of being assertive and loud when calling for help from a lifeguard or parent and more.
Crippen said he teaches kids to not try to save a friend from within the water. The best option is to get a lifeguard or parent to save a kid from drowning. If those options aren’t available, Crippen also shows kids how to use a foam pool noodle from the side of the pool to pull a kid to the wall.
Crippen said he also teaches kids to float and get themselves out of a dangerous situation, moving toward a shallow area or wall. Through two Saturdays of classes so far, Crippen has taught about 20 kids. Parents have been surprised by the skills their kids are learning.
“Even though their kid is only 3 or 4, they’re still able to save this 11 year old kid if they had a noodle,” Crippen said.
The class is also about having fun, since there’s only so much swim safety instruction kids can stomach for 45 straight minutes. At the February class, Crippen let kids do the popular “floss” dance, and show him a few other moves. Those fun moments break up the class and help kids focus during important instruction.
The February classes were combined, so Crippen had an age range of 3 to 11.
“They both had fun and stayed focused the whole time,” he said. “And that’s tough, that big of an age group to keep them all focused and balanced.”
Crippen said kids generally wish they had more time in the class and express that as they leave. He encourages them to return to the club for more swimming time. Crippen thinks the safety class is a good foundational block for anyone interested in swimming.
“The good thing I see is their smile when they leave the lesson,” Crippen said. “Not only are they able to save somebody now, they know they can do some skills on their own and that helps their confidence.”
