Greater Yuma Water Safety Alliance hosts annual safety day at Valley Aquatic Center

Families looking for a safer summer found more than a pool party at Valley Aquatic Center on Friday, as the Greater Yuma Water Safety Alliance turned its Third Annual Water Safety Day into a local warning about the hazards that surround Yuma County every day.

The free community event ran from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 4381 W. 18th St. in Yuma, with a pre-pool party from 8 to 10 a.m. before public swimming opened at 10 a.m. Visitors moved between live music, free hot dogs, giveaways and interactive safety booths staffed by agencies including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, giving parents and children a chance to pick up safety information without leaving a summer outing.

The alliance’s message was aimed squarely at the risks local families face around canals, rivers, pools and ponds. Jen Miller, communications director for the City of Yuma, said water safety is a year-round concern because the community lives around multiple water hazards and needs to be ready anytime and anywhere around water. That warning carries added weight in Yuma County, where children spend long hours outside in extreme heat and where water is part of both recreation and daily life.

The Greater Yuma Water Safety Alliance formed in the fall of 2023 to raise awareness, promote water-safety education and reduce drownings in the community. City materials say the coalition includes the City of Yuma, Yuma County, Yuma Regional Medical Center, Onvida Health and the Prison Hill Liquid Foundation. The city describes drowning as the single-leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and a top cause of death among teens, underscoring why the alliance has kept its prevention campaign in front of families heading into summer.

That effort has already reached well beyond one event. At its first-year celebration, the city said Water Safety Day drew more than 1,100 residents for a free day of swimming and safety demonstrations. In 2025, the alliance said it had reached hundreds of residents through swim lessons, hands-on workshops and public-awareness efforts. Yuma County Public Health Services District has also leaned into the same strategy, offering 111 free swim scholarships in 2024 for children ages six months to 5 years, 114 more in 2025 and 73 free swim lessons in 2026 for the same age group.

For Yuma families, the takeaway from Friday’s gathering was practical: drowning prevention starts long before an emergency and depends on early lessons, constant attention and knowing where local help and information are available.