Children's Safety Zone

MARICOPA, Ariz. – A 9-year-old boy is being called a hero after he saved a younger child from drowning in a community pool Monday night.

A 5-year-old boy was playing in a swimming pool, but his mom was distracted. Fortunately, someone else was watching, and when he saw the boy go under, 9-year-old Alessandre Presume sprang into action.

Alessandre jumped in and pulled the child out.

“I went down to check and I turned him over, his face was gray and his lips were blue, so I brought him up cause I knew something was wrong,” he says.

“I started screaming for help and another mother closer to us started the CPR on the little boy,” says Alessandre’s mom Antonia.

Bystanders reported the boy briefly lost consciousness while his mother took over CPR.

By the time the paramedics got to them, the boy was conscious and alert, and it’s all thanks to the quick acting 9-year-old and his mom Antonia.

“When he woke up I was relieved cause I knew he was gonna be ok,” says Alessandre.

“Just so grateful it turned out the way it did cause it could’ve easily gone the other way,” says Antonia.

The child was transported to an area hospital for further evaluation.

Alessandre now says he wants to be a lifeguard one day.

MARICOPA, AZ – A 1-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital Thursday morning after being found floating in the tub at a Maricopa home.

Pinal County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tim Gaffney said the infant was in the bathtub with a 23-month-old when the older child turned the water on.

According to Gaffney, the 1-year-old was floating in the water when her mother found her.

The woman reportedly began CPR and the girl was alert and breathing when crews arrived.

The infant’s mother told crews the girl had been left alone for approximately three to four minutes, according to a Maricopa Fire Department spokesperson.

Air15 video showed the girl being airlifted from the home around 11:30 a.m.

Officials said due to the estimated time of submergence the 1-year-old was flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for further evaluation.

The child’s current condition is unknown.

PHOENIX – It’s the newest prescription doctors are handing out to children – not for medicine, but a prescription for swim lessons!

“They like to have something in their hand to tell them this is important..they’ll remember it,” said Lana Whitehead.

Whitehead is the owner of one of the most well-known swim schools in Arizona: Swim Kids USA. She helped write the actual prescription and the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona is on board as well. Now 50 doctors in the valley will be handing them out.

“I think they’re valuable. There’s been studies that show they are protective. They do not replace barriers or adult supervision, but children who are safe around water tend to have already had some swim lesson exposure,” said Dr. Judith Pendleton.

Think of it as a helpful suggestion – it’s not mandatory. Your insurance does not pay for it, but several swim schools will give discounted lessons.

“Arizona is always ranked first or second as far as drownings, so we definitely need something else..we’re missing something,” said Tracy Fejt of Cardon Children’s Medical Center.

Only one other state in the country has the swim prescription: Florida. That’s where the idea originally started.

Arizona and Florida are among the states with the most pools in the country.

“It’s unavoidable to be around water in Arizona. Everyone has a pool. Grandma and Grandpa have a pool. Friends have a pool,” said Jessica Johnson, a mother.

Johnson put her son in swim lessons at 6 months old. She says she likes the idea of a prescription for parents who may be hesitant about doing it.

“Well, hopefully it will get the idea in parents’ heads that this is something really important and parents tend to listen to doctors, so if doctors can get the idea out there, I think it’s a great thing.”

SWIMkids USA
2725 W. Guadalupe Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85202
480-820-9109
www.swimkidsaz.com

Pendleton Pediatrics
Dr. Judith Pendleton
1445 W. Chandler Blvd, Building B
Chandler, AZ 85224
480-782-5552
www.pendletonpeds.com

Cardon Children’s Medical Center
1400 S. Dobson Road
Mesa, AZ 85202
480-412-KIDS (5437)
www.bannerhealth.com

Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona
www.preventdrownings.org

It may seem odd to kick off drowning awareness month as the summer is winding down, but officials say as back-to-school activities pick up, parents can get distracted, possibly leading to a spike in drownings.

That’s why first responders and physicians gathered outside the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center at the University of Arizona on Wednesday for the third annual Safe Kids Tucson, which kicks off Drowning Impact Awareness Month.

In the first half of 2011, three children drowned in Pima County, fire officials said. In 2010, one child drowned in the county. Nine other children have been injured during near-drownings in the county this year.

Dr. Terence O’Keeffe, a trauma surgeon at University Medical Center who has treated many near-drowning victims, emphasized the danger.

“I will be so happy if I never have to see another pediatric near-drowning again in my life,” he said.

Arizona has the second-highest drowning rate, behind Florida, said Tracy Koslowski, a spokeswoman with Drexel Heights fire.

In Maricopa County alone, 13 children have drowned this year, she said.

“We can’t just say it’s about supervision. We can’t just say it’s about barriers and we can’t just say it’s about swim lessons,” Koslowski said. “It’s about all of it.”

Druann Letter buried her young son 13 years ago after he fell into the family’s pool in Gilbert.

Weston, or “Wessie” as his best friends called him, was an energetic 3-year-old who loved firetrucks, bugs, lizards and his twin sisters, she said.

Weston’s father, a firefighter trained in CPR, lost sight of the boy for a short moment in the backyard and he fell into the pool. Weston died that day in May 1998.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him, and what could’ve happened if our gate was locked,” Letter said.

DID YOU KNOW

Local fire officials are now classifying all near-drownings as “non-fatal drownings” saying that even if the child survives, the physical and neurological damage from being underwater can be permanent and extensive, Tracy Koslowski, a spokeswoman for Drexel Heights Fire District.

2011 drownings

• June 12 – A 2-year-old girl drowned in a spa on Tucson’s east side.
• May 22 – A 6-year-old girl drowned in a pool during a party on Tucson’s northwest side.
• Feb. 16 – A 3-year-old boy drowned in a pool in Oro Valley.

For more information on pool safety, contact Safe Kids Tucson at 324-2783 or email safekidstucson@tmcaz.com Contact reporter Fernanda Echavarri at fechavarri@azstarnet.com or 573-4224.