LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Las Vegas police said some of the hardest calls officers respond to every year happen during summer family gatherings around pools.
As more families head to pools to escape the summer heat, LVMPD said drowning prevention starts with constant supervision.
“It’s absolutely devastating whenever a drowning occurs. And in my experience, it’s when there’s a celebration going on,” said Sgt. Bret Garcia.
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Garcia said that reality hits close to home in the Hispanic community, where large family gatherings around water are common during the summer.
“Being Hispanic myself, I know that I’ve been a part of great big gatherings. And when you show up, it’s very easy to get into a conversation, and the kids like to get together, the cousins like to get together, they run around. You just need to make sure that someone is watching,” Garcia said.
He said when drowning calls come in, LVMPD officers, fire crews, and dispatchers have to move fast.
“And I had a friend who drowned. Luckily, they saved him. But he was in the hospital for about a week, getting all cleared out. And he’s good now, but it was a scary situation at that time,” Garcia said.
Garcia said drownings happen at the extremes of age.
“Keep in mind that we see drownings at the extremes of age, whether it’s our little ones or our elderly. Just because they have lots of years of experience swimming, doesn’t mean that they’re out of the danger zone. So, always swim with a buddy,” he said.
With triple-digit temperatures returning to the valley, LVMPD is urging families to have a plan before heading into the water.
“You want to walk through a property as if you were a small child. If you can wander into your pool, even pets, you want to make sure that you button that up. Make sure it’s nice and secure,” Garcia said.
County leaders previously said drownings disproportionately impact the Latino community.
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