Just A Few Seconds Is All It Takes

 A child was transported to a hospital yesterday after a near-drowning incident in a backyard swimming pool in La Crescenta.  The child had strayed from view for ‘just a few seconds’ before falling into the pool.  The family discovered the child underwater and an adult instinctively jumped into the water, removed the unresponsive youth, and began CPR while another adult called 9-1-1.  When L.A. County Fire Department paramedics arrived on scene the child was breathing but unconscious.  Upon arrival at the hospital, the child was awake and talking.

Summer is a time for food, family and fun.  Don’t let swimming dangers bring tragedy to your home.  There is an average of 120 drowning incidents in Los Angeles County each year.  JUST A FEW SECONDS is all it takes for a life to be lost to this silent killer.  The Los Angeles County Fire Department has some important tips to help your family stay safe at this time of year.

Most of the toddlers and infants who have drowned in backyard pools or spas were thought to be somewhere else in the home.  The swimming pool “Fencing” ordinance in Los Angeles County requires that all swimming pools more than two feet in depth be surrounded by a protective fence of not less than five feet in height.  This incident reemphasizes the importance of knowing CPR.

Do not rely solely on fences or walls for protection against drowning; there is no substitute for constant supervision.  Never take your eyes off a child when he or she is in or near any body of water, even for a second.  Make sure your child swims only where a responsible adult is in charge.  Keep toys and other tempting playthings out of the water and away from the pool or spa.  Children will do most anything to get to play with these.  For more information, please contact our Public Information Office at (323) 881-2411, or visit the LACoFD website at: http://fire.lacounty.gov