Lifeguards, firefighters save child in Fort Lauderdale pool scare

A quick response from lifeguards, Riverland Park staff and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue kept a child from becoming a drowning fatality Tuesday afternoon at the city pool in the 900 block of Southwest 27th Avenue. Fort Lauderdale police were called to a drowning report, and when officers arrived the boy, between 8 and 12 years old, was conscious, breathing and already being treated by a lifeguard. Staff pulled him from the water and started CPR, and the boy spat out water before officers reached the scene. An ambulance took him toward Broward Health Medical Center, where he was alert and talking during the ride.

Fort Lauderdale’s pool rules require children younger than 8 to be directly accompanied into the water by an adult or guardian and kept within arm’s reach, and the same arm’s-reach rule applies to children wearing flotation devices. Florida’s public-pool rules require lifeguards and swimming instructors, when provided, to supervise the pool and be certified in lifeguarding or swimming instruction, first aid and CPR.

Several other near-drowning and drowning incidents occurred in South Florida this week. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4 in Florida, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14. Nationally, the CDC estimates more than 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings and about 8,000 nonfatal drownings each year.

The Broward County Health Department leads the Broward County Drowning Prevention Task Force and provides drowning-prevention information, education and resources to families, first responders, municipalities and pool professionals. DOH-Broward also offers scholarships to cover the cost of lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor training for county residents ages 15 and older.