As we reach late spring and early summer, many people are starting to think about heading out onto the water, whether in pools, lakes, or rivers. With that in mind, Perry Parks and Recreation Aquatics Director Kami Kirchner reminds people of some swimming safety tips.

“It’s definitely that time of year. Everyone’s out and about, they’re ready to get in the water and have some fun. Some of your most basic swimming tips are if you ever find yourself in a bad situation, one of the easiest things you can do to help yourself is backfloat. A lot of people never think of that, but if you start back floating, your head’s going to stay above the water and you’re going to be able to breathe, and that’s the main idea when you’re in water.”

Kirchner adds, the American Red Cross is the swimming safety experts, and they have an assortment of catchy phrases to remind people about swimming safety. One is “Reach or throw, don’t go,” which means you should never swim out to someone drowning to rescue them, because you could be pulled under as well. Instead, you should reach from where you are or throw something for them to grab. Next is “Think so you don’t sink,” which encourages people to not panic and remember things like back floating or dog paddling. The last tip is, “Look before you leap,” which reminds people to be mindful of shallow water, rocks, and even other swimmers before jumping into bodies of water.

To learn more about swimming safety, listen to this past Wednesday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.