Drowning Prevention and Water Safety
Over 1,500 children and teens die every year in the U.S. from drowning. In Washington state, an average of 25 children and teens drown every year. Most of them are swimming, boating or just playing in or near water.
The Washington State Drowning Prevention Network and Seattle Children’s work together to provide you with information and resources on water safety and drowning prevention. We can prevent drownings if we all do our part!
Know the water. Know your limits. Wear a life jacket.
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- Have fun and be safe using these resources about swimming, life jackets and water safety at home, in swimming pools and on open water, like lakes.
- Borrow life jackets for free (PDF) through life jacket loaner programs at boating ramps, bathing beaches and other sites around Washington. See a Google map of these locations.
- Come to a low-cost life jacket sale (PDF) (Spanish).
- King County Beach and Swimming Areas
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- Get useful information about life jackets, life jacket loaner programs, swimming and water safety, drowning surveillance and reporting, drowning prevention policy and more.
- Host events, like April Pools Day and Summer Splash-Tacular, and be part of Everyone Swims, an ongoing policy and system change initiative to increase access to swimming and water recreation among culturally diverse and low-income families.
- Read about policy strategies to prevent open water drowning in Washington state, as well as international open water guidelines.
- Email us to join the Washington State Drowning Prevention Network, which provides a forum for water safety and injury prevention organizations to work together to prevent drowning.
Contact Us
Email us to get help starting a drowning prevention campaign in your community or learn more about the Washington State Drowning Prevention Network.
Support Our Work
Support Seattle Children’s water safety education and programs to increase access to life jackets. Designate your donation to “water safety.” Donate now.
