PEORIA, AZ – Authorities say a man’s body was pulled from the water at Lake Pleasant on Saturday.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Chris Hegstrom identified the victim as 49-year-old Pedro Aguirre Castillo of Peoria.
Hegstrom said Castillo’s body was recovered around 5:40 p.m.
The cause of death is under investigation.
“I don’t ever want to hear it,” said Mr. Gomez, AJFD’s EMS/training coordinator. “It raises the hair on the back on my neck.”
Like so many first fire departments in the far East Valley, Mr. Gomez has seen his share of drownings. Some have had happy outcomes. Some have not.
The drowning death May 15 in Glendale of a 17-month-old boy believed to have crawled outside through a built-in doggy-door to the backyard pool is a reminder that fatal accidents can happen anytime, anywhere to anyone.
Between Jan. 1 and May 15 of this year in Maricopa and Pinal counties, there have been 36 water-related incidents, according to the website childrensafetyzone.com. Of those there were 12 deaths, including three children.
Children’s Safety Zone collaborates with local fire departments, hospitals and media to gather statistics and stories on water-related incidents and fatalities in Arizona.
During that time frame, the Queen Creek Fire Department responded to water-related pediatric calls (for ages 5 and younger) for two children. Rural/Metro Fire Department in Pinal County, which serves San Tan Valley, responded to one pediatric call.
Mesa Fire Department has been the busiest this year, responding to three water-related calls “ﾔ two pediatric calls and one for a child between 6-12 years.
The Apache Junction Fire District, which serves AJ and Gold Canyon, has responded to two pediatric calls this year.
“That’s two too many,” Tina Gerola, the district’s public education coordinator, said in a phone interview last week. “Our target is zero.”
Drowning is the top cause of injury-related death for children across the United States, according to a press release from the Maricopa Fire Department about May being National Water Safety Month. More than 1,000 children drowned in 2006 nationwide, the release said. Arizona ranked second in the nation for child drownings.
To reduce the number of water-related emergencies in San Tan Valley, RMFD acted as the driving force behind forming the San Tan Valley Public Safety Coalition last year. Its goal is to build a strong and safe community through ongoing events and safety campaigns, according to a story published Oct. 19 in the Independent.
“Rural/Metro started it with Southwest Ambulance, Air Evac, Banner Ironwood, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the Johnson Ranch Homeowners Association,” Colin Williams, public information officer for RMFD, said during a phone interview last week. “We all come together for various events and public awareness campaigns, like the one held a month ago at the Circle K at Ironwood and Ocotillo.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about thinking about drowning prevention,” Mr. Williams continued. “People need to be super vigilant around children. There is no better supervision than direct eye supervision.”
Stay aware
Thomas and Amy Miller know how easy it is to think they had everything under control only to find out they didn’t.
On Aug. 19, the Mesa couple was attending a birthday party at the Apache Junction home of Mrs. Miller’s mother. Their son Owen, then 3, had been swimming with his twin and older sisters but left the pool to go to the bathroom, Mr. Miller said during a phone interview last week. Owen did not remove the floaties he wore on his arms when he went inside.
“I was in the deep end with the girls and had my back to the rest of the pool when I turned and saw Owen’s floaties on top of the water,” Mr. Miller said. “I saw him under the water.”
Mr. Miller dove in and pulled his son out of the water. He told his sister-in-law to call 911 and began CPR. Mr. Miller started compressions while Mrs. Miller started breaths. Owen coughed up water and started crying, Mr. Miller said.
The youngster spent the night in the hospital, where the medical staff told the Millers that Owen appeared well.
Afterward, people from the party commented to Mr. Miller they might have just stood there and waited for the paramedics to begin CPR. It came easily to the dad of three; one week earlier, he had attended a refresher course in CPR conducted through work.
“I’ve taken CPR but had never used it, and when I needed it, it was there. I don’t know if I did it 100 percent correct, but the firemen told me I must have done something right because my son was breathing.”
Reflecting back on the day, Mr. Miller said he was surprised at how much ran through his mind when he saw his son under the water.
“My wife and I are losing our son, my children are losing their brother. The immediate guilt that I was in the water and it was my fault,” Mr. Miller said. “Somehow he slipped in without us hearing. My wife said you’d think people who are drowning would thrash around and scream for help but drowning is a pretty silent killer. No one can hear you under water.”
Nearly a year after the near-drowning, the Millers are still dealing with the terror they felt that day. Mrs. Miller declines interviews. “She still gets choked up,” Mr. Miller said.
Mr. Miller speaks at public events about the event.
“If I can help one person to not go through that feeling that my wife and I were feeling, then it’s worth it,” he said.
What you can do
Local first responders offer an array of free literature and devices to help prevent drownings. Members of the QCFD have gone door-to-door accompanied by Mayor Gail Barney to educate residents about the importance of water safety, Ron Knight, interim fire chief for QCFD, said.
“So far in 2013, we’ve had two near-drowning events, both involving backyard pools. Fortunately, they both had good outcomes but education is a part of prevention,” Chief Knight said by phone last week. “We went out on a Saturday and targeted neighborhoods with engine companies. Mayor Barney came with us.”
Since April 6, QCFD has distributed more than 450 pouches containing water-safety information. Additional packets are available at the fire stations. QCFD has two locations: fire station No. 411 is at 22407 S. Ellsworth Road and fire Station No. 412 is at 24787 S. Sossaman Road. The AJFD administration office is at 565 N. Idaho Road. For fire station locations, visit www.ajfire.org.
AJFD and RMFD also offer similar packets that include a Water Watchers bracelet with whistle and a tag for the designated Water Watcher to wear. For Rural/Metro fire station locations, visit www.ruralmetro.com.
Water Watchers is a national program in which a responsible adult is designated to supervise children’s water activities. The Water Watcher must be capable of rescuing a drowning child, Ms. Gerola said. She recounted an incident in which a Mesa mother, who was the designated Water Watcher, died because she did not know how to swim. She drowned when she tried to jump in the water to save a child.
Ms. Gerola also warns people not to use floaties or swim rings as life-saving devices.
“Anything inflatable is a toy. Children slip out of those things,” she said. Instead, she recommends children wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved vest in the appropriate size at all times, especially when they are out of the water. That will help prevent a possible drowning if the child should fall in the water.
David Tait, owner of EVO Swim School in Queen Creek, recommends parents help their children become comfortable in the water at an early age and with adult supervision.
“When children are 6 months to a year, being in the water is a good bonding experience between the child and their parent, but at that age they don’t learn a whole lot more than general comfort in the water,” Mr. Tait said by phone last week. “At a year to 20 months, they can kick and control their mouths so they’re not swallowing or choking on water.”
The biggest deterrent to a child learning to swim is fear of the water, which they can learn from an adult, he said.
“A parent that always shields their child’s face from the water is doing that child a disservice. It makes them uncomfortable in the water,” Mr. Tait said. Also, rather than taking a crash course, Mr. Tait recommended children take one or two lessons a week over an extended period of time to help them develop healthy water habits.
AJFD produced the video public service announcement “If Only” that was introduced to the website, www.ajfire.org last week. It features students from Superstition Mountain Elementary in Apache Junction.
It can be viewed alone along with other helpful resources and links.
Other useful websites include: www.waterwatcher.org, www.nationalwatersafetymonth.org/water-safety-tips and childrensafetyzone.com.
Whether planning a beach vacation this summer or staying closer to home at the neighborhood pool, it’s important to be mindful of water safety and how to keep the kids out of danger. As owner of Charlotte Safety Training, Brian Coffey provides lifeguard training, aquatic safety assessments, emergency plan development, coach safety training and more. Coffey lends his decades of experience in this business to provide expert tips on ways to have a safe and happy summer by the water.
Water Safety: How To Keep The Kids Safe Around The Beach Or Pool
General Water Safety
Be aware that drowning happens very quietly and quickly. It’s a major misconception that a drowning victim will call for help. Most often, the victims can’t call for help because they’re trying to breathe. Bobbing up and down with thrashing arms doesn’t always accompany a struggling swimmer. What does drowning look like? Coffey says it will look different for every individual. Some parents have mistaken it for playing.
Don’t rely solely on the lifeguard. Coffey says that many parents take their kids’ safety for granted simply because there is a lifeguard on duty. It’s important to keep in mind that lifeguards often get distracted and have a whole pool or beachfront to monitor. Keep an eye on your kids at all times.
Get swim lessons. Water survival training can begin as soon as the child is crawling. Children can get acclimated to water at an early age, but teaching them how to swim without professional knowledge can be a complicated process. Coffey says that human beings are naturally vertical creatures, whereas swimming requires a horizontal position, so this transition requires a new set of skills and a muscle-ready body. It’s great to get your kids in swim class as early as possible.
Teach your child how to put on a life jacket. If without swimming capabilities, a child should be taught how to put on a life jacket.
Caregivers must be taught the swimming rules. Grandparents, neighbors and babysitters should all be taught how important it is to watch children at all times.
Don’t rely on floaties. Floaties promote a vertical body position, whereas children should be practicing a horizontal position. Coffey says floaties offer a false sense of security.
Beach Safety
Water Safety: How To Keep The Kids Safe Around The Beach Or Pool
Never, ever allow a child to swim unless a lifeguard is present. Coffey says water depth can be deceiving. A child may be in water chest-deep when a wave comes and changes water depth, knocking him off his feet or carrying him away with a rip current.
Understand the consequences of currents. A rip current can take a swimmer deeper out to sea. A long shore current follows the wind direction and runs parallel to the shore. At sea, lost kids are most often the result of long shore currents. While playing in the water and jumping off the ground, children can be unknowingly carried along the shore. Parents panic, assuming the child has drowned, but Coffey says that parents should look downwind in the event the current has overtaken the child. In the ocean, kids should not go out further than waist deep.
Be proactive. Begin the beach visit with a lifeguard lesson and introduce your child to the lifeguard. Train kids to go directly to the lifeguard for assistance, and teach them that when the lifeguard leaves, they should leave the water. Coffey says he teaches lifeguards to be proactive by approaching parents and offering water advice.
Remember, many people”ﾓespecially children”ﾓoften overestimate their swimming abilities, so it’s important to keep a diligent eye on the kids at all times when hanging out by the pool or on the beach. Follow these guidelines and your summer will go swimmingly!
Phoenix firefighters and the Drowning Coalition of Arizona teamed up to put on a free drowning prevention event in Phoenix.
One of the groups at the event dedicates their free time to raising water safety awareness after losing a loved one.
Water gun fights, twirling on inner tubes and splashing the summer away, a day on the water should leave everyone with a smile.
But too often, hearts are broken when a life is lost to the water.
“I just don’t want another family to walk in my shoes because they’re not very comfortable shoes to walk in,” said Shannon Liebrock.
Five years ago Liebrock lost her 21-year-old nephew Ryan Thomas when he went swimming at Saguaro Lake.
“They were on a boat and they were getting ready to dock the boat for the day. He was maybe 15 feet from the shore, said to his buddy he wanted to cool off one more time, went off the boat and he never resurfaced,” said Liebrock.
Thomas was an above average swimmer, yet tragedy still struck.
His family started the Ryan Thomas Foundation and Saturday they offered information at the “Getting to the Pointe of Water Safety” event at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak resort.
They helped people like Claudia Corral and her 5-year-old daughter, Sierra.
“They’re here doing something great for the community and we’re here to support as well,” said Corral.
For many of us, when we think of water safety, we just think of the pool, but the Ryan Thomas Foundation aims to bring awareness to safety at the lake as well.
“Three clicks of a life vest would have saved a life. Take two seconds, click those life vests on and save your family from the heartache that we’ve had to go through,” said Liebrock.
Thomas’ family is now working on a program to loan life vests to swimmers and boaters at local lakes.
For more information about the Ryan Thomas Foundation, visit www.theryanthomasfoundation.com.
PHOENIX – A young boy is fighting for his life after being found in a Phoenix pool Monday night.
Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Larry Nunez said the incident happened around 5:15 p.m at a home near 59th Avenue and Thomas Road.
Nunez said the boy, who is almost 2 years old, got to the water through a gap in the pool fence.
Authorities told ABC15 people at the house tried performing CPR on the boy before fire crews arrived.
The toddler was transported to the hospital in extremely critical condition.
Air15 video showed several fire and police vehicles surrounding the home. Police officers could be seen interviewing various people at the scene.
Stay with abc15.com for updates.
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.”
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Scottsdale police said a 77-year-old woman drowned in her pool Saturday morning.
Scottsdale Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Schmidt said the woman was found face down in her pool near 60th Street and Thomas Saturday morning.
She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Schmidt said the woman was discovered by her partner and was down for approximately 15 minutes.
No other information was immediately available.
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.”
CHANDLER, AZ – A toddler has been taken to the hospital after being pulled from a backyard pool in Chandler Wednesday morning.
Chandler Fire Department spokesman Tom Dwigging said the 3-year-old was found at the bottom of the pool by a parent at a home near Gilbert and Queen Creek roads.
The parent started CPR and the child began crying and was very active, Dwigging said.
Air15 video showed the child being put into an ambulance.
Dwiggins said the child was probably in the pool for one to two minutes.
There was no word on the child’s condition.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Phoenix Fire Department are already working to get kids ready for summer with reminders about staying safe around water.
More than 1,100 first-graders took a field trip to South Mountain Community College on Tuesday for the 14th Annual Water Day.
The kids have been learning about water safety in their classrooms and all the lessons were reaffirmed through rescue demonstrations, carnival games, tours of fire trucks and rescue boats, craft safety reminders, a singing firefighter show and a puppetry show.
The focus of Water Safety Day is to remind kids about the ABC’s of Water Safety. “A” is for adult supervision, “B” for barriers and “C” for classes “ﾔ CPR for adults and swimming classes for kids.
Already in 2013 the Phoenix Fire Department has seen seven water-related incidents, including four children. Three adults have died in Phoenix. One child has fatally drowned in Arizona.
Tiffany Isaacson, water safety coordinator for Phoenix Children’s Hospital, said 10 percent of kids involved in a water-related incident will never recover, meaning they will suffer some sort of permanent injury.
“When the brain is deprived of oxygen it sets off a domino effect in the body,” she said. “There are neurological problems, respiratory problems, digestive problems, skeletal, muscular, it’s a descending quality of life. It’s very hard.”
Isaacson said it takes two to four minutes to lose consciousness and four to six minutes for a brain injury.
Daniel Cheatham, of the Phoenix Fire Department, said what he sees most often is the ripple effect a drowning can cause. Of course lives are changed when a life is lost, but the brain injuries also have a lasting impact on families.
“There’s a huge impact on families if a child suffers brain damage,” he said. “A spouse has to stay home to take care of a child and the divorce rate goes sky high after a tragic incident such as this. The ripple effect is what we really see and it’s completely preventable.”
Now that the weather is warming up Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Phoenix Fire Department want to remind residents to be safe around water.
“I give a lot of statistics because I want people to understand how big the problem is,” Isaacson said. “Every one of those is a life that’s lost. It’s a child who will never become a parent. Maybe they were going to become a doctor. Maybe they were going to find a cure for cancer. Maybe they were just going to be a wonderful friend to someone. We’re never going to know. It affects their families, friends, classmates. The reason for all the fire department support is when they run on a call of a child who was healthy 20 minutes ago and they can’t save them, it’s devastating for them and doctors and nurses. I have talked to all of these people and they have told me how hard it is for them.”
For more information on water safety, visit www.phoenixchildrens.com and search for “Water Safety” or call (602) 546-1712.
