MIDLAND, Texas — The Midland Fire Department hosted a drowning prevention training Friday on their Annual Swift Water Awareness Day.
MFD told NewsWest 9 that everyone on a fire truck or ambulance goes through this particular training.
On average, Midland sees about two to three drownings a year, with a majority of them happening during the summertime.
So, this training is a way to educate people on ways to prevent drowning.
"There's two peaks of drowning: those under the age of five and those between 15 and 25 that are male. The reason for this is high risk behaviors. They're young, showing off for their friends, sometimes alcohol is involved. So it's something as a parent we need to let our children know our expectations," said Aaron Cox, battalion chief at the Midland Fire Department. "We also need to think we're taking our kid to the pool the pool isn't a daycare it's not a babysitter. We shouldn't be dropping the kids off at the pool if they don't know how to swim."
Firefighters say as parents, two of the best things you can do is enroll kids in a swim class and learn CPR. This is because drowning is the #1 cause of death for kids under five years old.