Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona

 

  Lauren Kobley /Cronkite News  March 15, 2024 Original Article   PHOENIX – Brandi Stoll is an Arizona native who grew up swimming in pools and was familiar with pool safety. When she became a mother, she knew the risks and how to keep her children safe around the pool, but her world changed in July 2021 when she found her almost-2-year-old daughter face down in her family’s pool. Drowning is a leading cause of death for children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2023, there were 133 water-related incidents reported in Maricopa and Pinal counties, 50 of which involved children 5 and under, according to  data from Children’s Safety Zone , which tracks Arizona data. Of those 50 incidents, 12 resulted in fatalities. “Many times when it comes to a drowning call, especially with children, it’s due to a lack of barriers,” said Meghan Chute, a fire and life safety education specialist at Mesa Fire Department. “We think it’s important to have m...

  Child Crisis Arizona in partnership with SRP and the 493 Firefighter Foundation, formerly the United Phoenix Firefighters Charities, is addressing water safety in our community. Together with collaborative efforts, we introduced the Pool Fence Safety Program designed to provide those in need of a pool fence with the opportunity to apply for a free one.   The 2024 Pool Fence Program application is now open. The deadline to apply is March 24, 2024. See attached flyer for requirements and more information on how to apply.

  The family of Sean Bickings alleges the city of Tempe should have done more to save Mr. Bickings when he ultimately drowned in May 2022 at Tempe Town Lake meanwhile, they say, promised safety improvements have yet to be implemented. (File Photos/ DigitalFreePress ) Family of Sean Bickings seeks $3M in wrongful death claim against Tempe Sean Bickings drowned in Tempe Town Lake in May 2022 By Terrance Thornton  |  Digital Free Press T he mother of  Sean Bickings  is seeking $3 million in damages from the city of Tempe as legal representation alleges life-saving actions have not yet been taken to prevent future drowning deaths at Tempe Town Lake. “If you watch the body camera video these officers are just watching Sean Bickings drown,” said  Benjamin Taylor  of Phoenix-based Taylor & Gomez, who is representing the mother of Mr. Bickings, Turee Toro.  “Sean Bickings was begging, saying, ‘help me, help me I am drowning!’ The officer was very disr...

Child Crisis Arizona in partnership with SRP and the 493 Firefighter Foundation, formerly the United Phoenix Firefighters Charities, is addressing water safety in our community. Together with collaborative efforts, we introduced the Pool Fence Safety Program designed to provide those in need of a pool fence with the opportunity to apply for a free one.   The 2024 Pool Fence Program application is now open. The deadline to apply is March 24, 2024. See attached flyer for requirements and more information on how to apply. Pool Fence Safety Program    

  Dear Pool and Spa Safety Community,   The 2023 swim season is underway and we hope you are all enjoying a safe and fun start to this busy time of year!   Yesterday,  Pool Safely  released its latest report that shares new drowning and drain entrapment data. You can find the press release that contains the full report  here , but the highlights include:   ·         Between 2018 and 2020, there were an average of 371 pool- or spa-related fatal drownings reported per year ·         On average, from 2020 through 2022, there were an estimated 6,300 pool- or spa-related, hospital emergency department (ED)-treated, nonfatal drowning injuries each year. Seventy-six percent of these nonfatal drowning injuries involved children younger than 5 years of age ·         The number of estimated non-fatal drowning injuries in 2022 was 6,400, which was statisticall...

  CSN eNewsletter June 6, 2023       Note from Our Director Dear Partners,    This month, we at CSN are excited to begin the first year of our new cooperative agreement, awarded to Education Development Center (EDC) by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). We will continue to provide  training and technical assistance  and  resources  on infant, child, and adolescent injury and violence prevention to state and jurisdiction health departments and health and safety services and systems, continue leading the  Children's Safety Now Alliance (CSN-A) , and launch a new  learning collaborative  later this year.    Last month was  National Water Safety Month , with May 15th being  International Water Safety Day .  Drowning remains the leading cause of death among children ages  1-4  and the second leading cause of unintentional death among those ages  5-14  ( Cen...