Water Safety Task Force Metro Chicago is improving water safety for our residents and visitors.
In the home and on the beach, Chicagoans are surrounded by water - a source of joy, and danger. The Task Force was created in 2018 to create effective policy and programming designed to establish a culture of water safety and set a standard for drowning prevention efforts in the Metro Chicago area.
Our goal is simple, we want you to enjoy water, safely.
Creating Layers of Protection
Education and Awareness
Learning to swim is like a vaccination against drowning, yet 46% of Chicago children have not had swim lessons.
Minorities report lower swimming abilities, and have higher drowning rates.
Learning basic swim survival skills can reduce drowning rates by 93%.
Action Taken: Click here to learn how we are providing water safety education and increasing awareness about the water safety dangers specific to the Chicago Metro area.
DATA and infrastructure
Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death in the U.S., but we lack data to create targeted programs.
Even less data exists around the permanent brain damage from non-fatal drowning which can occur in as little as a minute.
Action Taken: Click here to learn how we are creating emergency rescue systems to reduce both death and brain damage injuries from drowning, and gathering data to create stronger programs.
Skills-Based Training
Your chance of drowning if a lifeguard is on duty is only 1 in 18 million, but there is a national lifeguard shortage.
For every child who dies from drowning, 5 end up in the emergency room, with permanent brain damage the most common outcome. CPR at the scene, with rescue breaths, can make a difference.
Action Taken: Click here to learn how we are strengthening our lifeguard programs and to find CPR training near you.
Our Actions
We drafted one of the first major city Water Safety Plans.
Our partners are collaborating every day to make the Chicago Metro area safer for our residents and guests.
We have taken action to address Chicago’s unique water challenges. Learn more here.
We are on the Steering Committee and Working Groups developing the U.S. National Water Safety Plan. Click here to read the final plan.
Lake Michigan is the deadliest body of water in the U.S. We are in the first ever U.S. documentary on rip currents and structural currents.
Water Safety Task Force Chicago Metro partners collaborate to make all local waters safer for our residents and guests.
Key Accomplishments:
Sharp increase in collaboration across government agencies to implement water safety initiatives in the Chicago Metro area.
Building an infrastructure which prevents the public from entering dangerous situations and allows for fast emergency response. Prevention and fast reaction can be the difference between life and death.
Focusing on water safety education and awareness; building search and rescue infrastructure; collecting and utilizing data; and providing skills-based training in swimming, lifeguard training, and CPR.
Drawing on national and global research and best practices as we implement our Water Safety Plan, we are also contributing to the development of the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan.
Action you can take to prevent drowning
Take Action
You can protect yourself, your family, and your friends from drowning. Learn how you can be safer around water, both at home and out in nature.
Be part of the solution.
Participate in training programs.
Learn about your local water hazards.
Don’t stand by. Get involved.
