On Tuesday July 8th at the City’s Aquatic Center, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, City of Santa Clarita, and the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station joined together to urge residents to learn the basics of pool safety in order to prevent children from drowning. Battalion Chief Bill Niccum, joined by Mayor Bob Kellar and Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Captain Anthony La Berge, emphasized the dire need to be vigilant and proactive in preventing summertime drowning.

Santa Clarita resident Robyn Fennessy and her family also spoke and shared their first hand account of how she successfully performed CPR on her 18-month-old daughter and saved her life after finding her face down in the family’s backyard swimming pool.

With temperatures reaching into triple digits, families are taking advantage of backyard pools as well as the use of community pools. An increase in the number of near-drowning and drowning related deaths have been reported in the Santa Clarita area. Residents are encouraged to learn CPR, participate in swim lessons, and learn the basics of water safety in order to prevent water related deaths.
A variety of swim lessons and water safety courses are offered by the City of Santa Clarita and the City’s website offers many tips as well.