Children's Safety Zone

A 12-year-old boy was expected to recover after nearly drowning Wednesday night in the pool at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA in Goodyear, authorities said.

The boy was swimming in the lap pool with a friend about 8:30 p.m. when he lost consciousness, Goodyear fire spokesman Russ Braden said. His friend called for help and a bystander and on-duty lifeguard pulled the boy from the water.

He was unconscious but began spitting up water after the lifeguard performed CPR and other life-saving measures, Braden said. He was conscious and talking by the time firefighters arrived two minutes after receiving the call.

The boy was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital as a precaution, he said.

Braden said people should never hesitate to call 911 if something happens, even if the child seems OK.

“They will go from looking pretty good to looking bad within minutes, so that’s why with kids we always (advise) to take them in,” he said.

It was unclear why the boy lost consciousness, Braden said.

A statement released by the Ed Hendricks, executive vice president of Valley of the Sun YMCA, on Thursday said, “We are proud of our lifeguards and staff who responded to the emergency situation, administered care and supported the family. Safety is our number one priority.”

Most of the time when we report on drownings and near drownings, it’s because a child somehow found their way into a pool.

But on Monday, paramedics were called to a home in Mesa after a child nearly drowned in the home’s bathroom – not in the bathtub though. The little girl fell into the toilet.

The Mesa Fire Department and Cardon Children’s Hospital are using this case as a chance to remind people to take a look around their home and see if there’s something you could be doing to make your child safer.

A hospital is the very last place anyone wants to have to rush to, but a frantic father found himself there with his daughter.

“It doesn’t all come back to swimming pools and canals..again it can be a bucket of water and a toilet,” said Mesa Fire Dept. Captain Forrest Smith.

The little girl is okay, but it’s a reminder to all of us, especially parents, that your house can be a danger zone in ways you never imagined.

On Monday morning in Mesa, the toilet turned out to be danger to a 1-year-old found face first in the toilet bowl.

“With the little kids their heads are huge..they’re so heavy their neck muscles are weak, so once a kid gets his head down, they can’t get back up,” said Smith.

A popular way of childproofing is to for people to get on their hands and knees and crawl through their homes, giving them a child’s eye view. You may see dangers down there you would otherwise miss.

“Watch Your Children Around Water” – it’s a lesson FOX 10’s Dave Munsey has been repeating for years. Take a look at this video as he explains how it can happen in things like buckets and toilets.

We’ve learned that a young boy who was found floating in a Glendale swimming pool did not survive.

Police say there were adults and other children around, but a babysitter and her boyfriend lost track of the child and when they found him, it was too late.

The 3-year-old boy was pronounced dead at a valley hospital Saturday night. Police say he was underwater for 30 seconds to two minutes before someone found him.

“Never at any point did any of us notice that that little boy went in.” Veronica Navarro called 9-1-1. “Emergency was telling me pick up his head and just try to give him CPR..try and pound on his chest.”

Sadly, the toddler didn’t make it.

There have been three incidents in Glendale in the past two weeks.

On May 2, an infant died after falling into a pool on West Claremont. On Wednesday, 15-year-old Jesse Prado was pulled out of a swimming pool by another student during physical education class. After two days in an intensive care unit, he died.

His brother was touched by a vigil in Jesse’s honor. Classmates lit one candle after another.

“His condition seemed to be improving, but then his heart just gave up.” said Luis Prado.

Three families wish they could turn back the clock, but doing their best to accept their loved ones are now gone.

“He’s in a better place now, we all loved him so much.” said Prado.

The fire department says it boils down to complacency, even with teenagers. They say to be on the lookout and watch over them.

All three incidents are still under investigation.

Pool construction always requires more than just digging a hole.

The process can require hours of research into local requirements and interpreting confusing language to make sure people are following the letter of the law.

The Queen Creek Town Council just made that process a little easier.

Coinciding with National Water Safety Month, the council last week approved a measure clarifying many requirements and moving its disparate regulations, including those governing pool fences, into one part of its building codes.

“Now you’ve got one place to look for all the requirements including fed law, state law, et cetera,” said Dean Wise, who oversees the town’s building safety division.

Wise said the net result saves time and money for both parties, allowing builders to complete their projects correctly on the first attempt.

“The more information that people have that is discernible, the better product you usually get,” Wise said.

It improves safety, said Rick Chafey, co-owner of Red Rock Pools & Spas.

“The benefit of having all this information now under one ordinance should definitely make it safer because we won’t overlook something,” he said.

Chafey said pool requirements for new home construction are often found in a municipality’s zoning ordinances while requirements for remodels are under the building section.

“It really doesn’t make sense for there to be a separate set of rules . . . especially when it comes to the safety requirements and safety issues with pools,” he said.

The move culminates more than a year of painstaking work by Wise, who said he had to pore over federal and state laws and canvass countless requirements in jurisdictions across the Valley and nation.

Chafey said interpretations and vagueness in municipal laws can be a challenge for builders.

“It seems every city we go to has a different set of rules and then when that city has complicated rules, it definitely makes it even worse when you’ve got to kind of read between the lines to figure out how they’re going to apply them,” he said.

Queen Creek said the ordinance passed by the Town Council will clarify some requirements to cut down on confusion.

A 1-year-old boy is in critical condition after nearly drowning in a backyard pool Wednesday.

It happened before 8 a.m. at a home near Greenway Road and 41st Avenue in Phoenix.

Captain Scott McDonald with the Phoenix Fire Department said the toddler slipped out a back door and into the pool while his father was sleeping.

When the boy’s father woke up, he found his son floating in the water.

“There’s a chance the child was unaccounted for, for 30 minutes,” McDonald said.

According to Phoenix Fire officials, the little boy is on life support at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center.

McDonald said the pool’s cold water may have helped the child.

Firefighters are using this time to remind parents to keep an eye on their young children and fence in their pools.

“We’ve got to ask the residents of Phoenix, and the whole Valley, to watch your kids around water,” McDonald said. “Supervision is number one.”