New statewide strategy seeks to reduce drownings across New Jersey

• A statewide strategy to reduce drownings by 30% by 2030 has been introduced in New Jersey.
• The strategy prioritizes data consolidation, swim safety awareness, drowning prevention, and lifeguard training and development.
• Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 4 and younger in New Jersey.

When Connie Ercol describes the drowning death of her toddler daughter, it’s much more than a tragic memory.

The Shamong woman, now a water-safety advocate, is open about her loss so others can learn to avoid their own heartbreak.

“There were several errors that took place that day,” Ercol told her audience at an event held June 17 in Camden to introduce a statewide strategy to reduce drownings.

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The biggest mistake: Six adults all assumed someone else was watching 14-month-old Victoria, one of five children at a backyard birthday party at the Ercols’ former home in Lumberton.

So, while Ercol and her mother prepared party treats inside the house, and her husband and other guests flew a kite in the yard, Victoria wandered unnoticed to a pond approximately 100 yards away.

“I came outside (and said), ‘OK guys, we’re ready for ice cream and cake! Let’s go!” Ercol recalled before a somber audience at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. “And I looked around and said, ‘Hey, where’s Victoria?’”

The new strategy, with a goal of reducing drowning deaths in the state by 30% by 2030, was prepared over the past two years by members of the New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance.

Judith Leblein Josephs, a co-author of the 60-page report from the New Jersey Swim Safety Association, said the strategy’s publication in time for the summer swim season is “amazing.”

“Because we know we’re going to get some bad news, and we want to limit the bad news we’re going to hear,” said the founding board member of the association.

There are approximately 65 drowning deaths annually in New Jersey, with approximately 10 victims younger than the age of 14, according to the strategy.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 4 and younger, Dr. Henry Schuitema, chief of emergency medicine for Jefferson New Jersey, said in an interview.

He noted that drowning survivors can still face severe health problems, in part due to water-filled lungs or a lack of oxygen to the brain while underwater.

In the 1992 incident involving Ercol’s daughter, the child was breathing on her own after receiving CPR and emergency care at the family’s property.

“So we thought, ‘OK, we’re out of the woods,” said Ercol, who operates a water-safety foundation in her daughter’s memory. But doctors at a local hospital needed 90 minutes to resuscitate the toddler, who then was flown to a trauma center in Camden.

“Victoria lived for 23 hours and then I held her as she went into the arms of Jesus,” her mother said.

Schiutema, who was not a participant at the Camden event, is promoting water safety after the ER at Jefferson Washington Township saw multiple drowning victims last year.

“It really raised awareness for us,” said Schuitema, who noted that drownings, particularly for children, also take a toll on first responders and medical personnel.

“Supervision is key, and it’s not only key when you’re having an event in a swimming pool. A significant number of kids drown in the bathtub,” said Schuitema, who also urges people to wear safety vests aboard boats.

The state plan considers the need to protect people at pools, lakes, shorelines, rivers and water parks, according to members of the New Jersey Swim Safety Association.

They emphasized these priorities:

• Data consolidation: Statistics on drownings, currently insufficient, are to be improved to identify groups most in need of water-safety programs. For instance, the drowning rate for young adults is similar to that for children, and males represent 80% of victims. This might indicate a need to target risk-takers and swimmers who overestimate their abilities. They also said drowning is a greater danger to Blacks, possibly because of reduced access to swim education and safety resources. “By addressing these disparities, community organizations and policymakers can work towards creating inclusive program,” their strategy stated.

• Swim safety awareness: Elevating water safety to an “essential life skill,” in part by including the top in school curricula and community programs, is prioritized. “ One proposal would include ‘water safety cards” with beach tags.
• Drowning prevention: They aim to direct age-appropriate messages to children, parents and caregivers, in part by reaching out to daycare providers and childcare facilities. “Providing bathing suits to children in need removes one of the common barriers to participation in swim lessons and safe water activities,” said the plan, which would expand a current program to donate swimsuits and goggles.
• Lifeguard training and development: They want to provide retention bonuses, benefits and ongoing training opportunities to end a shortage of lifeguards, who should be viewed as “essential employees and first responders” with age requirements and standardized education.
• They also called for “mental health support and critical stress management resources’ for the safety workers and regulation of backyard pool rentals to meet safety standards.” Funding is sought for “drones, GPS tracking, and aquatic vehicles, to modernize rescue operations and improve response times.” The high-tech approach to water rescues was shown earlier this month, when Ocean City police demonstrated the use of a drone that can drop inflatable tubes to help swimmers in distress.
• New Jersey strategists also envisioned efforts to support and finance the water-safety mission and to promote collaboration between public, private and nonprofits.

The plan was developed with input from more than 200 stakeholders. It’s the third state-specific plan in the country, with versions already in place in California and Hawaii.

A national plan, created in 2023 by members of nonprofits and government organizations, serves as the New Jersey strategy’s foundation.

The impact of drownings can burden families “financially, emotionally and physically” for the rest of their lives, said Leblein Josephs. It also takes a toll on first responders and medical workers, she added.

“Many of us have seen a lifeless child on the deck of a pool,” she said. “And we never want to see it again.”

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.