FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Broward community leaders rallied together to spark change after several child drownings and near drownings have taken place this summer.<\/p>\n
Officials at the swim safety conference at the L.A. Lee YMCA\/Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale shared safety lessons in an attempt to prevent future tragedies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all here today because we\u2019ve seen an alarming rate of drownings taking place in our community. And we\u2019re coming together as a united front to hopefully prevent that next tragedy from happening,\u201d said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan.<\/p>\n
The meeting came after a string of incidents across Broward in recent weeks. A 4-year-old was pulled from a Plantation pool<\/a> last Saturday. Days earlier, a 2-year-old was pulled from his family\u2019s North Lauderdale pool<\/a>.<\/p>\n Both children were critically injured and were rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, according to officials.<\/p>\n \u201cThese tragedies are heartbreaking because they are preventable,\u201d said an official at the press conference.<\/p>\n Earlier this summer, at least three other drownings changed several families forever.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Florida, drowning still is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages one through four,\u201d said Dr. Gary Lai from Broward Health.<\/p>\n Officials reminded parents that those deaths are preventable by implementing security around pools and safeguarding children from water.<\/p>\n \u201cNumber one, adult supervision. Alarms, fences, sound systems that really alert us, even if you\u2019re in the house and the door opens, we need to know,\u201d said Sheryl Woods from the YMCA of South Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, please, please take the time to educate your children how to swim,\u201d said Gollan.<\/p>\n One of the parents who lost a child to drowning shared her advice to others at the press conference.<\/p>\n Twelve-year-old Jenny Nguyen died in 2011 at a pool party with friends after she did not know how to swim.<\/p>\n \u201cI lost my daughter Jenny because she could not swim,\u201d said Anna Nguyen, Jenny\u2019s mother. \u201cOur family made a promise that her life will make a difference,\u201d<\/p>\n Anna is now on a mission to save children by partnering with the YMCA and other organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cDrowning is preventable, swim lessons are affordable,\u201d said Woods.<\/p>\n For a list of free swim lessons, see below:<\/p>\n