Hawaii’s first water safety plan has been released in an effort to reduce drownings in an island state with America’s highest rate of visitor drownings and second highest for residents.
The new Hawai‘i Water Safety Coalition called its plan — “I Palekana Kakou ka Wai: Let Us Be Safe in the Water” — a road map to keep people safe “on, in, and around the water.”
Hawaii becomes only the second state, after California, to embrace a challenge by the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan for each state to write its own plan.
The coalition works under the umbrella of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, whose president, Kalani Vierra, issued a statement Thursday that also called drownings for local children ages 1 to 15 “the foremost cause of death.”
He called the situation “heartbreaking.”
Fewer than 2% of Hawaii second graders have the basic skills to avoid or save themselves from drowning, according to the coalition.
Among all resident drownings, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders disproportionately have the highest death rate.
They make up about 27% of Hawaii’s population but represent 36% of resident drowning deaths, according to the coalition.
“It is our collective responsibility, our kuleana, to protect our cherished waters and to raise awareness about the hidden dangers they may hold,” Vierra said. “Together, we can work to ensure a safer experience for everyone who enjoys the beauty of Hawaii.”
“We sincerely hope that the Hawai‘i Water Safety Action Plan will make a meaningful impact in reducing the tragic incidents of drowning and preventing aquatic injuries across our islands.”
Dr. Pat Morgan — a member of Hawaii’s Child Death Review and medical director of the Kapi‘olani Child Advocacy and Protection Center at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children — called childhood drownings “preventable with constant adult supervision in and around the water, including at home,” in a statement.
“Toddlers are especially at risk, as are children with other health conditions including autism. Our goal is to protect children from drowning in Hawai‘i.”
This legislative session, House Bill 1234 and Senate Bill 1223 would provide money for the Department of Education to create a standards-based Water Safety Education Pilot Program.
Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Volcano-Hawaiian Ocean View) introduced HB 1234 and said in a statement, “A water safety education program equips our keiki with the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe in and around the water, while minimizing risk in our communities.”
Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Pearl Harbor) introduced SB 1223 and said in a statement, “Our intention of introducing these bills is to safeguard our communities’ health, prevent tragic accidents, and ensure that every family has peace of mind knowing their loved ones are safe in and around water.”
HB 1233 and SB 1222 would impose safety requirements for new “retention and detention ponds” such as requiring signs, fences and flotation devices.
HB 1233 and SB 1222 would prohibit counties from permitting new retention and detention ponds and require the state Health Department to inspect existing ones across the islands.
The retention and detention pond safety bills followed the death of Charlotte “Sharkey” Schaefers, who drowned Feb. 28, 2004, in a poorly maintained Navy housing retention detention pond that was designed to reduce the risk of homes getting flooded in a storm and had been swollen with stormwater.
Schaefers jumped into the pond to save a 3-year-old child who couldn’t swim.
Her mother, Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Allison Schaefers, helped write the Hawai‘i Water Safety Plan and continues to advocate for passage of the bills this legislative session.
Schaefers and her family were awarded a $2 million settlement that represented the largest wrongful death settlement for a child in Hawaii at the time.
To view Hawaii’s Water Safety Plan, visit https://808ne.ws/414KHM7.
