Officials in Kennebunk issue stern warning after child goes missing on Mother's Beach
'They aren't babysitters': Officials in Kennebunk issued a stern warning to a distracted caregiver after a missing child was eventually found safe on Mother's Beach.
'They aren't babysitters': Officials in Kennebunk issued a stern warning to a distracted caregiver after a missing child was eventually found safe on Mother's Beach.
Officials in Kennebunk issued a stern warning to a caregiver whose child had gone missing on Mother's Beach Tuesday: Put your phone down.
The child was eventually found safe, but the incident is prompting Kennebunk Fire & Rescue to remind parents to keep their attention on their children, especially when they are near the water.
The department said the child had traveled to a different beach area from where the caregiver was located before being found and reunited with the caregiver.
However, shortly after the child was returned, officials say they saw the caregiver "immediately return attention to their phone."
"We also want to emphasize that situations like this are extremely unfair to our Ocean Guards," wrote officials in a public post on the Kennebunk Fire & Rescue Facebook page. "Our guards are there to protect everyone using our beaches; they are not babysitters and cannot replace parental or caregiver supervision."
The caregiver was given what the department described as a stern warning about the seriousness of the incident and the responsibility to supervise the child.
The department also said incidents involving inadequately supervised children can pull Ocean Guards away from their broader responsibilities.
Ocean Guards are responsible for monitoring large areas of the water and beach, watching for swimmers in distress and changing conditions, providing emergency medical care and responding to life-threatening situations, officials said.
"Lifeguards provide an incredibly important layer of protection, but their presence does not transfer the responsibility for supervising a child from the caregiver to the lifeguard," the department said.
Fire and rescue officials also warned that drowning and other water emergencies can develop quickly and may happen without the yelling, splashing or other obvious signs people often associate with someone in distress.
"A few seconds of distraction near the water can have lifelong consequences," the department said.
The warning comes after two drowning incidents in Kennebunk earlier this summer.
In June, a 4-year-old girl died nearly a week after drowning in a pool at the Hampton Inn on Independence Drive. Kennebunk Fire & Rescue responded to another drowning involving an elderly woman, prompting the department in early July to announce a public water safety seminar focused on preventing similar incidents.