Children's Safety Zone

TEMPE, Ariz. — Tempe police are trying to figure out what happened to a body they pulled out of the canal just south of U.S. 60 and Priest Drive on Sunday afternoon.

At around 4 p.m. police said a bicycle rider saw what she thought was a body floating in the Western Canal and called police.  Tempe police officers showed up to find a dead man in the water.

Police aren’t sure of the man’s age or how he died.  He had no identification and there were no obvious signs that he slipped or slid into the canal near where the body was found. Water in that area is about 10 feet deep.

Authorities at the scene also weren’t sure how long the man had been in the water but said it had been a fair amount of time.

The medical examiner will perform an autopsy this week and try to determine who the person is and how he died.

This is the second body found in a Valley canal in about a week.  Last Sunday Phoenix police found a dead man in the canal near 36th Street and Camelback Road.

The Western Canal multi-purpose path, which runs parallel to the canal, is a popular trail with walkers, runners and bicyclists.

PHOENIX – An 8-year-old boy was pulled from his Valley pool Monday after spending two minutes under water. Two neighbors performed CPR to help bring him back.

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Larry Nunez said crews responded to the near drowning after the boy fell into a pool at the Puerta Del Sol Apartments Monday afternoon near Osborn Road and 35th Avenue.

Neighbor David Gonzalez said he was watching TV when, “something said to poke your head out the window to make sure the kids were playing where they were supposed to be playing.”

He witnessed two females working to bring back a “lifeless” 8-year-old boy, Gonzalez said. He ran downstairs to help, telling his wife to call 911.

Manny Garcia was on his balcony when he also noticed the commotion. He called 911 as well, and listened to an operator provide instructions on giving proper CPR.

“[Gonzalez] was doing CPR on him and I was assisting,” said Garcia.

Garcia said the mother of the boy was down at the pool, but was “paralyzed” with fear and crying as they worked to revive her son.

“Are you OK?” Garcia asked the boy when he started to come to. “When he shook his head, I knew he was back, but we almost lost a kid.”

Gonzalez said it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. He said the incident serves as a reminder for all parents to watch their kids around the pool.

“There was no life in that little boy. Just in the water that came out of him; it was probably a gallon of water.”

PHOENIX (CBS5) –

Authorities have recovered the body of a man who jumped from a 300-foot cliff at Saguaro Lake in the Tonto National Forest Sunday.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Officer Christopher Hegstrom said the body of Justin Otto Lee Anderson was found Friday in the area of Sandy Beach where he disappeared.

Multiple witnesses told authorities they saw Anderson hit the water on his back and never resurface around 3 p.m. Sunday.

Search helicopters from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety flew over the area and authorities deployed an underwater search vehicle, which was in use for about one hour until water being released from Mormon Flat Dam was too strong to properly operate it anymore.

Law enforcement authorities said the search continued with the use of a drop camera that they say “is better suited for the environment Anderson is missing in.”

Yuma, Arizona – One response last week was for a 3 year old who drowned in a backyard pool. Children, 4 years of age and younger, represent the largest number of drowning victims and it is a reminder for anyone responsible for children to never leave them unsupervised around water. With temperatures beginning to approach or pass 100 degrees, people are starting to look to water recreation for relief. Arizona is consistently one of the states with the highest numbers of drowning cases.

You might expect that of California or Florida with many miles of beaches, but this just shows that it doesn’t take an ocean, it could just takes a few inches of water. Infants can drown in as little as one inch of water, and it can happen in “just a few seconds.”  Every year Arizona loses more than a classroom full of children to drowning. There are a few basic steps to reduce the risk of adding to these figures, we call it the ABCs of drowning prevention.

“A” is for Adult supervision. If children are around water, they need constant, responsible, undistracted, adult supervision. Designate a “Water Watcher” whose only responsibility is to watch the children. If that person has to leave the area, someone else takes over or everyone leaves the pool area with them.

“B” is for Barrier fencing. Every pool should be enclosed by a barrier fence at least 4 feet high. It should have a self closing, self latching gate. Pool toys should not be left in the pool, they attract children, and furniture should not be near the exterior fence where it can be used to crawl over.  Pool alarms are also added security.

“C” is for Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), learn how to perform CPR in the event that the unthinkable does happen. In addition, although we cannot “waterproof” our children, teach them to swim (the City of Yuma’s Parks and Recreation program has many great classes). First responders often hear “It was only a few seconds” or “I thought someone else was watching”.  Do all you can do to prevent drowning (www.preventdrownings.org provides some excellent tips) and have a fun and safe summer.

For more information, or to set up a class, call Mike Erfert at 928-373-4850.