Child Drownings Won’t Alter Ban on Flotation Devices

The drowning deaths of two children in Woodbridge swimming areas on the past two weekends will not change the homeowner association’s prohibition of “personal” flotation devices, representatives said Monday.

Six-year-old Brianna Passafiume of Whittier was taken off life support and died Sunday after she was found floating unconscious Saturday in the North Lake swimming area.

The child apparently slipped under the water while her parents momentarily left the area, according to county paramedics.

The same paramedic team had been called a week earlier to South Lake, where a 3-year-old girl drowned after wandering away from her family.

Woodbridge Village Assn. rules do not allow the use of personal flotation devices such as water wings or inflatable rings when lifeguards are on duty.

The policy was adopted in the late 1980s on the recommendation of the American Red Cross, said Bob Figeira, association executive director.

“This is the first children’s fatality we’ve had in Woodbridge,” Figeira said. “We’ve been here 20 years, and suddenly we have two incidents and they happen eight days apart. This has been tough on everybody.”

The association checked Monday with Red Cross officials, who continue to recommend the policy.

Safety officials at both the Red Cross and the Orange County Fire Authority say flotation devices used by young children who cannot swim increase the likelihood of drowning.

“It gives the parents and the children a false sense of security,” said Jamie Nellesen, a Red Cross safety specialist. “There’s no substitute for actually learning how to swim.”

There were about 100 people in the water and four lifeguards on duty when Brianna drowned.

“You can’t assume your children are going to be safe just because lifeguards are there,” said Fire Authority spokesman Scott Brown.

Brown will meet today with representatives of the county Drowning Prevention Network to discuss a spate of incidents, including Friday’s death of a 2-year-old boy in a family spa in Orange and the near drowning of a 15-month-old in a swimming pool in Orange on Sunday.

“Parents need to be the first line of defense for the child,” Brown said.