A “Watch over your children!” A sign posted on the fence of Sam Aguilar and Brandi Stoll’s pool on February 21, 2024 in Phoenix. (Photo by Harris Hicks/Cronkite News)
Aliza Aguilar, 4, plays in her backyard in Phoenix on February 21, 2024. Aliza spent five days in a pediatric intensive care unit after nearly drowning in July 2021. (Photo by Harris Hicks/Cronkite News)
Sam Aguilar stands in front of a pool fence and his 6-year-old daughter Ariella plays behind him on February 21, 2024 in Phoenix. The family installed the fence after their almost 2-year-old daughter Aliza nearly drowned in 2021. (Photo by Harris Hicks/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Brandi Stoll is an Arizona native who grew up swimming in pools and knew all about pool safety. When she became a mom, she knew the dangers around pools and how to keep her kids safe, but in July 2021, she discovered her almost 2-year-old daughter was lying face down in the family pool. When she found out, her world changed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death in children. In 2023, there were 133 water-related incidents reported in Maricopa and Pinal counties, 50 of which involved children under the age of 5, according to the report. Data from Child Safety Zonetracks data for Arizona. Of these 50 accidents, 12 resulted in fatalities.
“Drowning calls, especially for children, are often due to a lack of fencing,” said Mesa Fire Department Fire and Life Safety Education Specialist Megan Shute. “We believe it is important to have multiple layers of protection, such as pool fences, door locks, locks that are out of reach of children, and alarms. People will know when to leave.”
Brandi Stoll discusses her family’s decision to install a fence around their pool while holding her 4-year-old daughter Aliza Aguilar at her home in Phoenix on February 21, 2024. Ariza nearly drowned in a swimming pool more than two years ago. (Photo by Harris Hicks/Cronkite News)
On a Saturday in the middle of Arizona’s summer, Stoll wished the barrier had been stronger. Her kids and their friends were playing in the pool at home and decided to go out and get a snack.
Stoll removed her youngest daughter’s floatation ring and sent the children inside. After some time, my husband began to call for his daughter Aliza. When he called her a second time and got no answer, Stoll knew something was wrong.
When she looked across the pool, she saw Aliza face down and immediately sprang into action, beginning CPR. After firefighters responded to the 911 call, Ariza’s family spent five days in the pediatric intensive care unit, not knowing if she would do the same after the incident.
“She was put on paralytics and intubated to give her body time to rest and heal. So we didn’t know how much damage had been done… because we didn’t know how long she had been in the water. ” Stoll said.
Today, Aliza is a perfectly happy and healthy 4-year-old who loves water, but not every story ends like this.
“We take every opportunity to talk about it. She’s still with us, but our results are very rare,” Stoll said.
After Ariza’s accident, Stoll pool fence safety program. Arizona child crisisIn partnership with salt river project and 493 Firefighter Foundationis working to promote water safety in Maricopa County with this program that provides free pool fencing to selected residents.
Applicants must have children under the age of 6 living with them. This program is for homeowners only and includes income qualifications. The application is as follows English and spanish.
As part of the program, we provide education to families about intervention and prevention services. Child Crisis Arizona offers free online water safety courses English and spanish Here, families can learn best practices for keeping children safe at the pool.
Child Crisis Arizona emphasizes the importance of the “ABCs” in its educational courses.
A: Adult supervision
B: Barrier
C: Class (swimming)
“We know there’s an economic component to it (fencing), so for families who can’t afford to install a pool fence but know how important it is to keep their children safe. , we want to remove that barrier,” Caitlin said. said Sagen, senior programming director for Child Crisis Arizona.
The program installed nine fences in 2022 and 16 fences in the past year, protecting a total of 80 people across these households. The number of fences an organization can award varies each year based on funding and the price of fencing materials.
The application deadline for the 2024 Pool Fence Safety Program is March 24th.
“Get that pool fence. Get a CPR lesson. Get a swimming lesson,” Stoll said.
