Buoys are stacked near a lifeguard station, ready for use. Pixabay

On Friday, we reported that on June 19 lifeguards at Cranberry Community Waterpark saved a 12-year-old from drowning.

For their act of heroism, the staff on duty received a standing ovation at the Cranberry Township supervisors meeting on July 27, a certificate from the township and heaps of praise for their heroic efforts.

Garret Shreve, of Allison Park, was one of the staff on duty the day the near-drowning occurred. He was among those recognized during the meeting.

“It was really fast,” Shreve said of the team’s reaction. “You train for these things and hope that everything goes as planned.”

Though they were already honored for their actions, we’d like to give them a shout out as well. With the heat wave we’ve been experiencing, the importance of having enough lifeguards at packed community pools is paramount.

According to the CDC, more children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death. For children ages 5 to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death, after motor vehicle crashes.

Moreover, every year in America, there are an estimated 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings — an average of 11 deaths per day — as well as over 8,000 nonfatal drownings — an average of 22 deaths per day.

Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water, especially to unsupervised children. It happens in lakes and oceans, pools, bathtubs and even buckets of water, the CDC said.

Though we’re thankful for the lifeguard staff, their silent vigilance should teach us all a lesson. We should maintain our own watchful eyes as well, especially to children under our care.

It’s impossible for one person to watch everybody every minute of the day, especially with the high volume of people flocking to pools.

We encourage everyone to be as safe as possible in the water — and we are grateful to the Cranberry lifeguards for their quick action.

— CM