Harrowing video highlights water safety tips for kids as summer nears
As Las Vegas police officer Ivan Gutierrez sped to a home where a child had been found face down at the pool, he knew time was not on his side.
“I need to get there right now,” Gutierrez said in a Metropolitan Police Department video posted recently about the 2022 incident.
Body worn camera footage captured the harrowing moments as the child lay motionless on the floor and Gutierrez performed CPR as family members cried out in distress nearby.
The child began to spit out water and show signs of life. Paramedics responded and the child made a full recovery.
“You just have to constantly keep an eye on your kids,” Gutierrez said.
In the last two years, the Clark County coroner’s office said there have been 16 child drowning deaths: two this year, and 14 in 2022.
Brianna Barber, executive director of the Durango Hills YMCA, said drowning represents one of the three most common causes of death for children, but that these deaths are preventable.
Some misconceptions about child drownings are that they typically happen under some form of supervision and usually occur in less than four feet of water, Barber said
She suggested the following water safety tips for people to practice at pool parties:
— Adults supervising kids should stay off their devices.
— Send your child to another person’s pool with a personal flotation device.
— An adult should always be on the pool deck.
— Have kids take water and sunblock breaks.
Barber also recommended reviewing basic pool rules every time kids get into the water. These include asking for permission before going into the pool, not running around the pool, not playing breath-holding games and not pushing people in the water or holding people under water.
Fences around backyard pools should be locked at all times, and adults hosting children in their pool should know the swimming ability of each child and have flotation devices on hand for everyone to use.
For more information about pool safety and to sign up for swim lessons, visit www.lasvegasymca.org.
Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @davidwilson_RJ on Twitter.
