Drowning experts: hotels, waterparks need to enlist lifeguards.(Newsroom)(Brief Article)

Most pool drownings occur in private residential settings rather than public facilities. But the aquatics industry still must address the absence of lifeguards at hotels and some waterparks, according to experts at the Third Annual National Drowning Prevention Symposium in April.

Under the "Partners in Prevention 2004" umbrella, the symposium drew experts, community advocates, relatives of drowning victims, and health and safety officials to the three-day event in Palm Springs, Calif.

Consumer Product Safety Commission statistics show that nearly 400 children drowned in the United States last year, predominately in family pods. Most victims were children between the ages of 1 and 5.

"The most important message we want to send is that drowning is totally preventable," said Maureen Williams, event co-chair.

But the only way' to do that is through supervision, which ...