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Basic water safety
Watch your children and other swimmers
- Actively watch when children are in – or near – the water. In 70% of child drownings, one or both parents were nearby. Avoid distractions like using cell phones or talking with other adults.
- You must watch children even with lifeguards on duty.
- Adult swimmers should watch out for each other, especially on lakes and rivers.
Wear a life jacket
- Weak swimmers or non-swimmers should wear life jackets.
- Make sure life jackets are the correct size.
- Adults should watch children even when the children are wearing a life jacket.
- Water wings or other inflatable devices do not take the place of life jackets.
Borrow life jackets for free at Lake Minnetonka flotation stations
- Gray’s Bay, 2831 County Road 101 South, Minnetonka, MN
- Spring Park Bay, 4141 Shoreline Drive, Spring Park, MN
- North Arm Bay, County Road 51, Mound, MN
Learn water safety
- Teach your kids to swim and learn how to swim yourself.
- Keep items near pools that can help rescue someone, like a shepherd’s (long) hook. If trying to rescue someone, hand something to them or pull them in with the hook.
- Empty kiddie pools right after you use them.
- Empty a bathtub right after you use it.
- Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), a method to save someone’s life who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped.