Phoenix Fire pushes for water safety to prevent drownings

Phoenix Fire highlights water safety as drowning deaths drop in Arizona

Fire officials and a local father share a powerful message on how swim lessons, fences, and CPR can prevent water-related tragedies in Arizona this year. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi learns more about Phoenix Fire's 2026 water safety campaign. 

PHOENIX - With summer right around the corner, and drowning still a leading killer of young children in Arizona, Phoenix Fire is rolling out its 2026 water safety campaign, pushing to get critical safety information out before more tragedies happen.

Local perspective:

"March of last year— the day that, you know, you can only, you know, have a nightmare about," said Wesley, a Phoenix resident.

That was the day Wesley found his toddler son unresponsive in a hot tub.

"A lot of people listening to this will think this may never happen to me. I'm vigilant. I keep eyes on it. All our kids, we get swim lessons, too," Wesley said. "We had a fence. We have our kids on the lookout all the time."

52 minutes of CPR later and arriving at the hospital without a pulse, Wesley’s son survived thanks to the work of the Phoenix Fire Department and doctors.

"We truly believe this to be inherited from God," Wesley said.

Big picture view:

The CDC reports drowning is the leading cause of death for children between 1 and 4 years old, with most incidents happening in swimming pools. Risk factors include a lack of swim training, inadequate supervision, and not wearing life jackets.

"It can happen to you," Wesley added.

By the numbers:

According to Children’s Safety Zone, there were 79 water-related deaths in Maricopa and Pinal counties in 2024. A year later, that number dropped to 57, despite nearly the same number of incidents. 

"CPR is very important to learn. First aid skills are important as well. If there's a medical emergency, we have to wait for the medical professionals to arrive. The paramedics won't arrive immediately," said Michael Lomas with LP Health Directions in Phoenix. "There's a lag time, a lag response time until they arrive. We're going to ask the public to provide basic skills to keep this person safe and prevent further harm."

What they're saying:

Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade says strong safety messaging can make a difference.

"My department, in fact, hired another statistician to look deeper into our numbers. It was early learn swim lessons and the overriding numbers that really helped drive success rates," McDade said. "We blitz the media with learn how to keep your children waterproof. Swim lessons, make sure everybody in the family understands how to do CPR."

Lomas said once you’ve called 911 and confirmed a person is unresponsive and not breathing, it’s critical to know the basic steps of CPR. 

"We need quality compressions for infants. We're going to recommend two thumbs right in the middle of the chest. For children. It's basically the same technique, but you're using a full hand or two hands," Lomas said. "It would be a continuous cycle of 30 compressions and two rescue breaths for one goal to get oxygenated blood back to vital organs."

Dig deeper:

Captain McDade says it is this training that will help keep the numbers down.

"There's a decrease. We need to keep that momentum of the numbers going down."

What you can do:

The City of Phoenix offers swim lessons for just $15, with some locations offering discounted rates. Meanwhile, the Child Crisis Center of Arizona is accepting applications for free pool fences through April 5 for Phoenix-area families. 

Officials say it all adds up to one message: Multiple layers of protection save lives.