SCHERTZ, Texas – At least three people have drowned in the San Antonio area since late July. Jenny Shreve said that’s a cause for concern.
“When you hear of these cases happen, it’s heartbreaking,” she said.
Shreve is the development director of the Miss Tristan Foundation. The nonprofit organization works to educate people in the San Antonio area on drowning prevention efforts, including free water safety and CPR training.
The organization was created to help prevent kids from drowning and to keep 2-year-old Tristan Bryd’s memory alive. She drowned in her family’s pool in 2016.
“There are ways to be able to be prepared. Your family can be prepared in these situations,” Shreve said.
She said her three top recommendations for changing your family’s habits to become more water-safe are the following:
- Never let a kid swim alone
- Add fencing around backyard pools
- Teach young children basic swimming lessons
“Drowning is fast. It’s silent, but it’s preventable,” Shreve said. “Teaching them those surviving skills to get out of the water is going to potentially save their life.”
The Miss Tristan Foundation also focuses its efforts on free CPR training.
“The first five steps of CPR are the most important part of the entire process,” CPR instructor Garrett Fletcher said. “They get us cool, calm, collected and focused on what needs to get done while there is panic and chaos going on around us.”
Shreve said accessibility is the nonprofit’s primary mission.
“Our goal is to make sure anyone and everyone can learn CPR at no cost,” Shreve said.
To sign up for one of the organization’s free classes, click here.
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