Children's Safety Zone

Shaquelle Massey learned CPR and first aid while working at a YMCA camp in Anchorage, Alaska, and it came in handy when he noticed a boy floating at the bottom of his apartment complex pool.

According to The East Valley Tribune, Massey, 19, was walking by the pool at the Fiesta Park Apartments and noticed a boy on the bottom.

“I was just walking by the pool,” Massey said. “When I first saw him, I thought he was playing a joke, but after not seeing him move at all for about three seconds, I knew he was in trouble. I jumped in the pool, pulled him out and called 911. He started coughing and spitting up water.”

Paramedics revived the boy at the scene and took him to Banner Cardon Children’s Medical Center.

Massey is a sociology major at Mesa Community College and plays for the school’s football team.

Ed Swift is the founder of Children’s Safety Zone, a Phoenix-based organization which reports water-related incidents in Arizona and promotes water safety.

He said supervision and barriers are essential to children’s safety around water, and that just because summer is over incidents of drowning continue due to Arizona’s hot weather late into the year.

“Drownings never stop,” Swift said. “They are more prevalent in the summer, but in the fall, pools aren’t too cool to get into yet. You always need to have barriers up and make sure the kids are being watched.”

At Hubbard Family Swim School, the belief has always been that getting children into the pool at an early age will help build confidence in the water and teach important safety skills. Now, two recent announcements from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Griffith University are raising awareness on the importance of early swim instruction and encouraging parents to take action. In light of these announcements and their overall commitment to water safety, Hubbard is now offering a Baby Splash program where infants 5 months and younger can splash, play and learn in the water once a week for free while also offering new clients their first two Little Snapper lessons (ages 6 to 36 months) free.

Based on a recent case-control study report, the AAP found that swimming lessons do not increase the risk of drowning in 1- to 4-year-olds and may actually provide a reduction in drowning risk in this age group. In addition to this new stance on swim instruction and drowning, a Griffith University research project out of Queensland, Australia surveyed more than 10,000 youngsters up to 5 years of age, and early results show that swim lessons not only develop better swimming skills but also advances physical, social, intellectual and language development of young children. Anecdotal evidence also found swimmers tend to be more confident than same-age, non-swimming peers.

“We have always believed in getting infants into the water right from the start but are glad the AAP and Griffith University have now made announcements that support this both from a medical, safety and behavioral perspective,” said Kathy Hubbard, Hubbard Family Swim School Co-founder and -owner. “By offering free classes our hope is to make it easy for parents to sign up because while our focus is on the children, our instruction is truly meant to empower parents to give their family confidence around water.”

Being in the water allows babies freedom to move their muscles in a way they may not be able to on land while providing the perfect environment for parents to bond with their little ones. In addition to getting acclimated to the water and providing stimulation for positive brain development, the class also includes tips on how to enjoy tub time, simple building blocks for a lifetime of confidence in the water and how to prepare your baby for lessons.

Baby Splash is offered at all three Hubbard Family Swim School locations. To learn more about the program or to sign up an infant, visit hubbardswim.com or call 602-971-4044.

CHANDLER, Ariz. “� A young child is in critical condition after being found at the bottom of a pool Thursday afternoon.

Paul Nies with the Chandler Fire Department said a 2-year-old boy was involved in a near drowning at his home near Ocotillo and Cooper roads.

Both the child’s mother and father were home at the time of the incident. The father was reportedly helping another child build a model car and lost track of the boy.

Nies said the mother noticed the side gate was open and began looking for the boy. She found him at the bottom of the pool.

The child was pulled from the water and the parents performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

He was taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and is listed in critical condition…

A 4-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital after he nearly drowned in a backyard pool during a graduation gathering at a Surprise home Thursday evening, officials said.

According to Surprise Fire Department spokesman Kevin Pool, the boy was at the gathering near 160th Avenue and Jomax Road with another family.

A teenager attending the gathering had walked outside to retrieve a cat that escaped through a back door that was left open, when he saw the boy floating in the pool.

The teenager provided CPR until paramedics arrived. They were able to get the boy alert and vomiting.

The boy was flown by helicopter to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and is expected to survive, Pool said.

A Mesa Fire official said a 3-year-old girl drowned in a family pool Saturday afternoon.

The girl had been swimming with other children at a Mesa home near Broadway Road and Val Vista Drive.

Mesa Fire Department spokesman Blu Caton said it was “a freak accident” because the residence had the typical safety precautions, including a fence around the pool.

Around 3:30 p.m., the parents were inside the house and wrapping up a party that included seven children between the ages of 3 and 14 who were swimming outside, Caton said. The parents noticed 3-year-old was missing when she didn’t follow the rest of the children inside the house.

The child was pulled from the pool and her father immediately began performing CPR until police and fire arrived, Caton said. She was pronounced dead at Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa.

Caton said the girl was likely in the water for about 20 minutes before found.