PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A 2-year-old boy is recovering after he was found unconscious in a backyard pool, and Phoenix fire officials say his mother’s CPR efforts made a critical difference.
First responders were called to a home near 15th and Glendale avenues just before 7 p.m. Monday. When crews arrived, the boy’s mother was already performing CPR on the child.
Phoenix Fire Captain Todd Keller said the mother’s actions were pivotal.
“As we move into warmer weather the first thing I want to talk about is how imperative CPR is. It probably saved this child’s life or is going to make a difference,” Keller said.
Jay Arthur, president of the National Drowning Prevention Coalition, echoed that message.
“CPR is the best thing we can provide for a child that is a drowning victim,” Arthur said.
Layers of prevention
Arthur said rising temperatures mean parents should increase their vigilance. He outlined several recommended safety measures, including CPR training, pool fences, and door alarms that sound when back doors are opened.
“It’s very irritating and it’s supposed to be,” Arthur said of the door alarms.
Swim lessons are also among the prevention layers Arthur recommends.
Phoenix mother Maggie Powers said she has enrolled all of her children in Hubbard Family Swim School at a young age, including her newest child, Roger.
“We’ll get him starting at 8 weeks,” Powers said. “Anything that we can do to prevent that and make our kids safer, we’re willing to do,” she said.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in Arizona. Arthur said the risk is also preventable and called on parents to act before an emergency occurs.
“Every life’s important, every child’s important, and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen to anybody,” Arthur said.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital offers free CPR classes in English and Spanish for parents with children ages 1 to 5, the highest-risk age group for drownings.
For more information, click here or call the hospital at 602-933-1000.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.