LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As temperatures across the Las Vegas Valley heat up, more kids are jumping in the pool to stay cool, but families are reminded of life-saving measures before setting foot in the water.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are warning families that drowning 911 calls increase during the summer months — and already this year, two people have died by drowning. In 2022, 10 people drowned, up from three in 2021, four in 2020, and eight in 2019.
“It has always been very important for our family to make sure we all know how to swim,” said Amber Fredericks, a local mom of two: Ivy, 14 months old, and Jackson, 6 months old.
She enrolled Ivy in swim lessons at 11 months old.
“We enrolled her so that she can start learning how to float, learning how to roll over, so that in the worst case scenario, if she did fall in the pool without any of us there, she’d be able to do these life-saving maneuvers in the water," Fredericks said.
Swim instructors teach the ABC's of swim safety:
- “A” stands for adult presence,
- “B” stands for boundaries (making sure kids know the runs around the pool)
- and “C” stands for classes.
Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Las Vegas is ramping up its efforts during May, National Drowning Prevention Month. The swim facility on Lake Mead Boulevard, off of U.S. 95 North, welcomes students as young as 4 months old.
“Kids have a piece of cartilage just like us [adults] in the back of their throat called an epiglottis,” said Cassandra Vasquez, the general manager and a swim instructor at Aqua-Tots. “When we open our mouth, it closes just to make sure no food gets into our lungs. So we can utilize and stimulate it to essentially hold that air for them while they’re under the water.”
Aqua-Tots Swim Lessons Las Vegas teaches children and adults the basics of floating and rolling over, then students advance in levels of swimming. The swim facility recently launched an app for parents to track their tadpole’s progress and make it easier to navigate through swim lessons. The Aqua-Tots website offers more information on how to enroll.
