Children's Safety Zone

A Lake Havasu City toddler was airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital Saturday after he reportedly fell into a backyard pool and wasn’t breathing when found.

Emergency responders were called about 1:32 p.m. Saturday to render aid to Aiden Cooper, 3, at a residence in the 3500 block of Fiesta Drive, said Lake Havasu City Sgt. Joe Harrold.

Emergency responders en route to the residence were advised cardiopulmonary resuscitation was in progress on the child, said Rick Felish, Battalion Chief, Lake Havasu City Fire Department.

A nearby Lake Havasu City police officer also was dispatched to the scene to assist the fire department’s response to the call.

“The father of the 3-year-old was performing CPR when the officer arrived,” Harrold said. “And the child began breathing on his own just as the officer got to him.”

Harrold said it’s standard protocol for a Havasu police officer to respond to incidents involving individuals who aren’t breathing.

The child was transported to Havasu Regional Medical Center by River Medical ambulance service. The boy was soon transferred by Careflight medical helicopter to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Felish said.

Lake Havasu City Fire Department responded with eight firefighters aboard Engine 4 and Engine 2. The Battalion Chief on-duty also responded, Felish said.

The child’s condition was unknown Sunday, police said.

You may contact the reporter at jhanson@havasunews.com.

ORO VALLEY – The Oro Valley community is mourning the death of a young child after the first drowning of the year.

A 3-year old boy was found in a neighbor’s swimming pool in the 11000 block of Old Ram Court. He was reported missing, Wednesday afternoon. During the search, an Oro Valley police officer found him at the bottom of the neighbor’s pool. The officer attempted CPR, but it was too late.

We spoke with one of the victim’s family members, but with tears in her eyes, she said she had nothing to say and rushed back inside her home.

The family isn’t the only ones affected by this; the entire neighborhood is still shaken by the tragic news.

Wayne Boyd lives in the neighborhood. He said, “Kids playing around here all the time. You see them all the time so it’s shocking. It really is.”

And the neighbors aren’t alone in that feeling. Even first responders were caught off guard.

Anne-Marie Braswell with Safe Kids Tucson Coalition and Rural Metro Fire said, “It’s just not anything that we were ready to even think about because the weather is still cool.”

Cool or not, it happened. Now it’s turned into a tragic reminder of the importance of pool safety and watching over your kids.

Braswell said, “It’s one of those things in Southern Arizona we need to think about year round. When January comes around we need to make our new years resolution to keep our children safe, be a designated water watcher and remember the A,B,C’s of water safety and to talk to all of our children.”

Something this neighborhood hopes to do better in the future, all while mourning the loss of one of its youngest residents.

Boyd said, “To hear that something like that happen here, it kind of hits home. It’s personal. To me it is anyway.”

The incident is still under investigation and police said they’re not ready to release the name or information about how the boy got into the neighbor’s back yard. They’re also not commenting on the possibility of criminal negligence charges being filed but we’ll keep you posted.

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, Ariz. “� A boy is credited with saving another child’s life during a near-drowning incident in Maricopa.

Emergency crews responded to a community pool in the Cobblestone neighborhood on Monday at about 5 p.m.

Preliminary reports indicate a 5-year-old boy was playing with pool toys when he went underwater.

Another boy, approximately 10 years old, was able to pull the victim out of the pool. The near-drowning victim was blue and reportedly not breathing.

The boy’s mother performed CPR and he was conscious and alert by the time paramedics arrived on scene.

He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

PHOENIX — One day after a 4-year-old boy drowned in his backyard pool, firefighters blanketed a north Phoenix neighborhood in an effort to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Firefighter Scott McDonald, walking through a neighborhood near 17th Avenue and Thunderbird, said frustration isn’t a strong enough word to describe five children’s drownings already this year.

“What is it going to take for parents?” he asked, then paused and said, “I don’t know what it’s going to take.”

Firefighters knocked on doors, passing out water safety flyers to people with pools. At one house, a grandma answered the door and assured her visitor that she’s aware of pool dangers. She said she has a separate fence separating the backyard and the pool and even keeps her dog out of the pool area.

McDonald said all of the drownings this year are taking an emotional toll on firefighters.

“We can only keep getting the message out there, we can only keep trying to make pools safer and we can only keep telling parents you’ve got to watch them every second,” he said. “It’s really frustrating and that’s why we’re out here doing everything we can to keep it from happening.”

Four adults also have drowned in the Valley this year.