Pool owners warned to take steps to protect kids

Heather Rawlyk

Thursday, March 11, 2004 | 9:38 a.m.

An 18-month-old boy nearly drowned Wednesday night in a backyard pool during a family get-together in northeast Las Vegas, police said.

Las Vegas Metro Lt. Les Lane said the boy was in the water for a few minutes when he was found by an adult about 5 p.m. in the in-ground pool at the house in the 5700 block of Monroe Avenue.

It was the third drowning or near drowning of a toddler in a week.

About 20 people were having a family gathering Wednesday when the incident occurred, Lane said. At one point, several children went swimming together in the backyard pool, he said.

"The kids swimming decided to go out front to play and left the pool," he said. "When they were out front playing, they realized that the youngest one was not with them."

The adults were inside the house, Lane said.

"Once they realized the youngest was not with the other children, they went out back to look and found him," he said.

The child was taken to Lake Mead Hospital, where his condition was improving, police said.

Kevin Gaylord, who lives next door, said he called 911 after he heard a scream.

"I was just sitting there watching TV, and I heard this hysterical scream come from an adult woman," he said. "I grabbed the phone and called 911 and looked over the wall."

A large group of people were hovering around the baby, trying to revive him, Gaylord said.

"One man jumped back and started praying," he said.

It was the third accident involving young children and pools in the area since Saturday, police said.

A 20-month-old boy drowned Tuesday afternoon in an above-ground backyard pool that had about 2 feet of water in it, police said. That incident took place in the same part of the city as Wednesday's.

A fire department spokesman said the victim, identified as Kennan Bowen of Las Vegas, was in the water for five to 10 minutes when his mother found him.

The boy was taken to Sunrise Hospital, where he died three hours later, police said.

On Saturday an 18-month-old girl nearly drowned after getting into a family whirlpool spa.

Children between the ages 18 months and 4 years old are the most likely to become victims, Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said.

In 2003, 10 drownings and 32 near-drownings occurred among children 14 years and younger, according to the Clark County Health District. Of the 42 incidents, 80 percent involved victims who were under 4 years old.

In 2002 the Health District reported six drownings and 50 near-drownings, of which 88 percent involved children under 4 years old.

In light of previous drowning incidents, the Clark County Fire Department held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss the dangers posed by swimming pools and provide tips to keep children safe.

The news conference was held before the near-drowning of the boy.

"One of the most tragic events is that of a child drowning," paramedic Capt. Robin Brown said.

Several emergency specialists discussed the importance of being aware of drowning dangers, and paramedics discussed techniques they use to revive infants.

Brown also discussed the most likely times for drownings.

"These incidents occur during the hottest times of the day and usually at the end of the afternoon," Brown said. "It's usually when kids have been active through the afternoon and the day is wearing down. It's then the parents will take a phone call or run inside for something and lose sight of their children.

"No matter the time of day, parents or caregivers need to watch children at all times."

Brown said that all parents and caregivers who are pool owners should be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Mary Ellen Britt, the Health District's EMS quality improvement coordinator, discussed the new Southern Nevada Pool Code.

The code, issued last year, requires homes with private pools or spas to have one of six safety systems: self-closing and self-latching door devices; a laser or light beam perimeter alarm; additional barriers with a minimum height of 48 inches; power safety covers; alternate plans discussed with building officials; or an alarm system installed on all doors with direct access to a pool.