A recent study showed that people are comfortable swimming with out a lifeguard present, but don't know the steps to save a person drowning.
Swimmers compete in a 200 yard individual medley heat at the Western Massachusetts high school swimming championships at Chicopee High School this year.
SPRINGFIELD — Every year the American Red Cross polls people on water safety. Do you and your children know how to swim? Is it okay to talk on the phone while supervising swimmers in a pool? Do you know how to help a swimmer who is drowning?
The results were a bit surprising.
"The study showed that 11 percent of people polled thought it was acceptable to talk on the phone or read while supervising children in a pool, that is definitely not acceptable," said Dawn Leaks, regional director for the American Red Cross of Pioneer Valley. "The best thing to do is to designate one person who's job it will be to focus on the swimmers."
Summer is here and along with picnics by the lake, pool parties and visits to the beach there is also a high risk for drownings.
In the past few weeks alone Western Massachusetts has had several tragic drownings in Holyoke, Otis, West Springfield and Pittsfield.
"The sad truth is that most of these tragic events are preventable, if people take the proper precautions and are aware of water safety," Leaks said.
In Holyoke 18-year old Johnathan Ramos fell from a high cliff along the Connecticut River and died on June 17.
On Tuesday, search crews recovered the body of 22-year-old Derrick J. Vonberg Jr., of East Otis, who had been missing since Sunday after he had jumped off a boat in the Otis Reservoir.
On June 25 the body of 24-year-old Wilfredo Domes-Guzman of Holyoke was recovered from the Westfield River in West Springfield.
Pittsfield rescue workers recovered the body of a man who drowned in the Hoosatonic River Tuesday. The man jumped into the river and was pulled under by the current and became trapped in the spillway of the Tel-Electric Dam on Mill Street.
Rescue workers were not able to retrieve the body until Wednesday afternoon when they were finally able to stop the flow of water.
The man was believed to be from California and police are trying to determine his identity.
Leaks said people should be familiar with the bodies of water where they are swimming.
"A lot of people will go to a lake or a pond and think it is safer, but some have very swift currents," she said.
In Holyoke, residents and city officials are hoping to start a dialogue about swimming safety as well as the possibility of limiting access to the area where Ramos drowned.
Holyoke Police Capt. Frederick J. Seklecki said closing off the area known as High Rock would be a challenge because railroad tracks are only 15 feet from that point and the railroad company must have access to the tracks.
"It's very, very close to the railroad tracks, so I don't know how you would close that off without affecting the railroad," said Seklecki, acting chief while Police Chief James M. Neiswanger is on vacation.
"There isn't a lot of room between the railroad tracks and the river," he said.
Property jurisdiction is another issue in the area. The state Environmental Police control the waterway and then a combination of the city, the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department and Pan Am Southern LLC, of North Billerica, which owns the railroad tracks, control parts of the area, officials said.
Efforts to reach someone from the Pan Am were not immediately successful.
In order to police the area, local police cite a state statute that allows for arrests to be made if someone is caught on railroad tracks, Seklecki said.
Most calls police get regarding that area are nuisance issues, such as noise if someone is operating an all terrain vehicle, he said.
"Kids go swimming there. We discourage it, but they still go there," Seklecki said.
Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse said while it may not be possible to close the area off there are things the city can do to educate residents about swimming safety.
"I think we need to partner with our local YMCA and other organizations that can help us make sure our young people know how to protect themselves from similar situations," he said.
The Red Cross is known for its blood drives and for providing assistance during natural disasters and fires, but the non-profit organization also offers swimming classes for children and adults.
"People can log on to our website and find an American Red Cross near you that will offer the classes," she said.
The telephone survey, which polled 1,011 adults over the age of 18, also revealed that 93 percent of folks could not identify the proper steps for helping someone who is drowning.
"A lot of people just aren't sure about what to do. The classes teach people how to swim, but also what to do if they or another swimmer are in a dangerous situation," she said.
The study also revealed that only 32 percent of African Americans have taken swimming classes, a low number in comparison to 49 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of whites.
Another interesting, little known fact is that water wings are not sufficient for keeping children safe in the water. The study revealed 67 percent of adults thought the popular flotation devices could keep a child from drowning.
"The best and safest thing is to get each child a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket," Leaks said.
For more safety tips visit www.redcross.org.
Staff reporter Michael Plaisance contributed to this report.