Swimming is one of the most popular summer recreational activities, but it can also be a dangerous one.

The Home Safety Council says in the United States, drowning is the fifth-leading cause of unintentional injury related to death in the home. According to Perry Parks and Recreation Aquatics Coordinator Jimmy Kezar, the best prevention of swimming accidents is constant supervision. He recommends swimming in places that have on-duty lifeguards, but if you swim where there are none, making sure to have someone on dry land within reaching distance is always a good idea.

If you see someone struggling or drowning, Kezar advises, “The Red Cross, during their swim lessons, they have a saying: ‘reach or throw, don’t go.’ So basically what you can do is, if you have a pole or something, you can reach a pole out to them. If you have some sort of a ring buoy or something that floats, you could throw that out to them. You know basically, you want to try to avoid getting in the water, because you might get taken under too.”

Kezar adds, lifeguards are trained for water rescues and have the proper equipment, so it’s always best to leave that sort of thing to them. Only when a person is very confident in their swimming ability should they risk getting into the water to save someone drowning. Also, if you find yourself struggling in the water, the best thing to do is to not panic and attempt to tread water while calling for help.

To hear more about swimming safety, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.