A recent close call in our community serves as a powerful reminder of how quickly summer fun can turn into a life-threatening crisis. On Friday, the Orange City Fire Department responded to a near-drowning incident involving a 2-year-old child.
The toddler was pulled from a backyard swimming pool thanks to the rapid response of an older sibling. Immediately following the rescue, the child’s grandmother began administering CPR. Because of her swift actions, the child began coughing and vomiting before emergency crews arrived to transport them to the hospital. While this specific child is thankfully expected to make a full recovery, local emergency responders and safety advocates emphasize that many families do not get the same fortunate outcome.
Drowning remains a silent and swift threat that can occur in mere seconds, often without any splashing or noise, even when adults are nearby. To protect local families, the Orange County Health Care Agency and regional fire authorities emphasize strict adherence to water safety layers. In Orange County alone, data highlights the critical nature of this issue: local data shows that there were 78 reported drowning incidents in the county over a single year, 36 of which were fatal. Furthermore, organizations like the UCI Center for Trauma and Injury Prevention Research track these trends and confirm that drowning consistently ranks as the number one leading cause of preventable death for children between the ages of 1 and 4 within Orange County and across the state of California.
This reality hits incredibly close to home for the City of Orange. Thirteen years ago, our community lost a young child named Jasper Ray to a preventable drowning incident. In the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, his family established the Jasper Ray Foundation for Drowning Prevention and Child Safety. They have dedicated their lives to educating parents, providing community resources, and partnering with agencies like the Orange City Fire Department to ensure no other family has to endure the same heartbreak.
To keep your family safe while enjoying the water this summer, emergency personnel and the Partners for Childhood Drowning Prevention recommend implementing these essential safety tips:
- Assign a Water Watcher: Designate a focused adult whose sole responsibility is to monitor the pool without any distractions like phones, books, or socializing.
- Stay Within Arm’s Reach: Always remain within arm’s reach of infants and toddlers whenever they are in or around any body of water.
- Install Four-Sided Fencing: Secure residential pools with a four-sided isolation fence that is at least 4 feet high and features self-closing, self-latching gates.
- Learn Bystander CPR: Enroll in a certified pediatric CPR course; as seen in Friday’s rescue, immediate resuscitation at the pool steps can completely alter the outcome of a submersion incident.
- Enroll in Swim Lessons: Ensure children are enrolled in high-quality swim classes to build foundational water competency and survival skills.
- Use Proper Life Jackets: Rely on U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets for young children and weak swimmers rather than inflatable arm bands or pool toys.
Every single second counts when it comes to water submersion. By working together as a community and remaining vigilant, we can prevent future tragedies and protect our neighborhood’s children.
Low-Cost Swim Lessons in and Around Santa Ana
Access to affordable aquatics education is vital for building generational drowning prevention habits. Families in and around the Santa Ana area can take advantage of the following local, low-cost options to get children comfortable and competent in the pool:
City of Santa Ana Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana, CA
The city offers comprehensive group classes for residents at just $60 per multi-week session and non-residents for $71 through the official City of Santa Ana Swim Lessons Portal. Eligible lower-income families can apply directly through the city for specialized aquatics financial aid, which drops the total participant enrollment fee down to a highly accessible $20 per recipient.
Goldfish Swim School Santa Ana, Swimming school, Santa Ana, CA
Located right in the heart of the community, this facility offers foundational curriculum focused heavily on small 4:1 class sizes and water survival techniques. While they operate on standard monthly tuition, they are currently executing a community safety initiative offering one entirely free introductory swim lesson to any child residing in Orange County via the Goldfish Swim School Santa Ana Registration Form.
Australian Swim School Tustin / Santa Ana, Santa Ana, CA
Positioned conveniently for local families at 1404 Village Way, this specialized indoor aquatics facility emphasizes year-round comfort in heated pools. They are widely recognized for accommodating diverse local neighborhoods by offering structured, safety-first courses led by bilingual, Spanish-speaking instructors.
Upcoming Regional Water Safety and Awareness Events
Attending local safety gatherings is an excellent, interactive way to teach children water resilience and equip parents with life-saving knowledge. Be sure to mark your calendar for these upcoming local community events:
- OC’s Safer Summer Pool Party (Santa Ana): On Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, the City of Santa Ana will host its annual water safety celebration at the El Salvador Community Pool located at 1825 W Civic Center Drive. Presented alongside the Jasper Ray Foundation, this completely free family event features land and water safety stations, drowning prevention workshops, lifejacket fitting tutorials, hands-only CPR training, and free open recreation swimming from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
- Super Swim Lesson and Floatie Exchange (Irvine): Taking place just a short drive away at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 5:30 PM, this unique event allows parents to swap dangerous, unapproved inflatable arm bands for proper U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets free of charge. The evening features structured water safety training starting at 6:00 PM followed by an open family swim night and a poolside movie.
- San Clemente Safer Summer Pool Party: Taking place on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the San Clemente Aquatics Center, this coastal regional event provides families with interactive drowning prevention demonstrations, professional safety advice from first responders, and a fun afternoon of floating inflatables.