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.

It happens so fast, it leaves families devastated. Whether it be in a backyard pool, a lake, a canal, even a bathtub or a bucket of water”ﾓ preventable drownings are tragic, and they affect everyone.

Even though we live in the desert, the state of Arizona consistently ranks near the top for the number of drowning incidents in the nation.

Seven years ago, area safety and health professionals started the Walk to Water Safety, hoping to involve the community in raising awareness about drowning prevention.

Shannon Liebrock, board member of the Ryan Thomas Foundation is the aunt of Ryan Thomas, an ASU student  who drowned in 2008 in a boating accident on Lake Saguaro despite the fact that he was an accomplished swimmer.

In 2011, Cody Thomson lost his son Brenan, 6, when he drowned in a neighborhood canal.

Both Shannon and Cody share their stories in our RAK Video below, and talk about why they participate in the Walk for Water Safety: to spread the word to prevent others from suffering such unimaginable loss.

In neighborhoods throughout the Valley, volunteers of all ages will meet and then distribute water safety information as well as water-watcher bracelets in a door-to-door walk every spring. In 2013, the event takes place on Saturday, April 6.

Communities throughout Arizona ask volunteers to distribute water safety information in a door-to-door walk every spring.

In 2013, the event takes place on Saturday, April 6. Parents, grandparents, scouts, kids in strollers “ﾔ anyone can sign up to walk the neighborhoods, and place hanging bags with information and water watch bracelets and other materials on doors  around the Valley.

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.

PHOENIX, AZ – A 2-year-old girl lost her life Thursday night after being found in a backyard pool.

Police identified her on Friday as Karishman Shephard.

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Chris Ketterer said crews got the call around 6:30 p.m.

When firefighters arrived to the home near 75th Avenue and Thomas Road, they found Shephard unresponsive.

Shephard was transported to the hospital where she later died.

Crews told ABC15 the girl’s grandmother was watching her at the time.

Ketterer said the home does not have a pool fence.