Lexington fire official urges water safety vigilance as hot temps drive crowds to pools and lakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX News) — With temperatures remaining high, Lexington firefighters expect larger crowds at pools, lakes and the river Monday.

Battalion Chief Chris Warren with the Lexington Fire Department's Special Operations division says the most important water safety tool is simply paying attention.

"Have someone that's attentive enough. They're not watching their phone. They're concentrated on those people that are in the water," Warren said.

Warren says that is especially important when children are present, and he recommends everyone in open water wear a life jacket.

"I used to have a boat. My kids were in a life jacket the entire time we were on the water. It's just not worth the risk of something happening in the boat or something happening on the water that only takes a split second," Warren said.

He says that rule applies whether you are at the river or in a backyard pool.

Warren also says having more people around can mean help arrives faster if something goes wrong.

"There's safety in numbers. The more people that are around, they can watch that if somebody does go under, you could either provide help for them or get us and, you know, to the call as soon as you can," Warren said.

Warren cautions that drowning does not always look or sound like an emergency.

"Drownings are silent. They're very quiet. People go under the water. You can't hear them scream underwater, so it happens very quick, very rapid, just a loss of attention and someone drowns," Warren said.

Molly Demrow is committed to covering the stories that matter to you. If you have an idea, please reach out to Molly at molly.demrow@wlex.tv