A block party on Indianola Way ended tragically on Memorial Day. Emily Fu, 6, drowned in her family's swimming pool. Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and have ruled her death an accident.
"Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children 14 years and younger," said Monica Diaz, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross.
Diaz says it's the time of year when more people are using backyard swimming pools and visiting city pools.
The Red Cross says children should be supervised at all times in the water.
- Your backyard pool should have a fence at least 5-feet high that self latches to keep children from entering without an adult present.
- Keep a phone poolside to avoid leaving children unattended if you get a phone call.
- Don't use floatation devices as a substitute for supervision.
- Remove toys from the pool that might that interest young children.
"If you're done swimming for the day, get those out of the pool," said Diaz. "Don't get them something interested in the water that they're going to want to go back in the water and get it."
Make sure lifesaving equipment is next to the pool, such as a hook or a ring you can toss. If you need to rescue someone underwater, lifeguards say assume that person may have suffered a head or neck injury.
"You stabilize their head and their back as much as you can in the water, causing the least waves possible and just keeping them afloat," said lifeguard Johan Carranza.
Lifeguards advise parents and others to constantly scan the water and performing periodic head counts of those in the water.
