Hydro Anxiety Climbs in Wake of Drownings

Timothy Capritto clutched the side of the swimming pool so tightly his small hands were turning white.

The 5-year-old peered up at his father who stood at the pool’s edge, marveling at how well his son was doing in his swimming lessons.

Perhaps showing off for his father, Timothy suddenly let go of the pool’s edge. In a blink, the boy’s head was bobbing underwater.

Matt Capritto lurched over and instantly pulled his son to safety.

“That is what scares me,” said Capritto, who appeared more shaken than his son. “Exactly that. He let go. It took a second and he was under. I sure hope his mother didn’t see that.”

Matt and Denise Capritto have a swimming pool in the backyard of their Ventura home, as do nearly 5% of all county homeowners. Fearing Timothy might wander to the pool alone and fall in, the Caprittos signed him up for swimming lessons.

Their anxiety has heightened in recent weeks, they said. Three Ventura County children have died in household drownings since June 7.

The most recent occurred 10 days ago, when a 4-year-old Simi Valley girl drowned while playing with her sisters--including an identical twin--in her family’s pool. The girls were unsupervised by an adult.

“We’ve heard some pretty horrific stories and it’s just scary,” Matt Capritto said. “The swimming lessons are just one way to ensure a certain amount of safety.”

The Caprittos apparently are not the only nervous parents. Public pools throughout the county that offer swimming lessons have had significant increases in student enrollment in recent weeks.

Although registration always increases in June when children are out of school, some swimming instructors said parents have cited the drownings as the reason they brought their child in.

“Our registration has jumped considerably since the drownings,” said Mari Alsip, who manages the pool at Buena High School, where lessons are provided by the city of Ventura and the Red Cross. “Parents need to get over the fears they are feeling right now. We’re here to help them.”

At Ventura College’s pool, instructor Mary Coulter could not say for certain why there has been such a boost in enrollment.

In early June, she had enough students to teach two infant classes. By June 30, student enrollment for her “Mommy and Me” classes had doubled to four classes.

“This is one of the largest student enrollments that we’ve ever had at Ventura College,” Coulter said. “I’m sure the drownings have triggered people to come here.”

The Caprittos say they also worry about their 13-month-old son, Tyler. Like his brother, Tyler is also taking classes at Buena High School’s pool. Tyler’s infant swim classes teach him skills such as kicking, blowing bubbles and floating.

Tyler is in a high-risk age for pool drownings.

During the past 19 years, there have been 156 pool drownings of Ventura County residents. Of those deaths, 35--or 22.4%--were children 4 years old and younger.

Before Tyler begins waddling around the house on his own, the Caprittos plan to purchase a pool cover designed to prevent children from toppling in.

But the lessons or the cover won’t change a steady practice at the Capritto household.

“When the kids are in the backyard, we’re in the backyard,” Matt Capritto said. “There’s no exception--that’s the bottom line.”

When it comes to pool safety, swimming instructors and recreation department directors countywide stress the importance of adult supervision.

“No matter how well the child swims, even if there is a pool cover over the pool, there should always be an adult supervisor,” said Marcia Grambling, a supervisor at the Ventura Department of Community Services.

It should be second nature for children to know they cannot be at a pool alone, Coulter said.

“Parents should teach them this,” Coulter said. “Just like teaching them not to touch the stove, or not crossing the street alone.”

One way parents can teach toddlers not to jump into a pool without them present is making sure the children wear swimsuits every time they play in a pool, said Ingrid Daland, who owns Daland Swim School in Thousand Oaks.

“If they know the whole routine, they’ll know they have to get a swimsuit first,” Daland said. “They’ll know they can’t jump in wearing clothes or naked.”

Daland, who has taught swimming for 35 years, gave several other pool safety tips:

* Know where your child is at every moment.

* Never allow older children to supervise younger children.

* Do not allow children to hug each other or give each other piggyback rides in the pool.

* Give your children water safety lessons as early as 4 months of age.

* Children should wear a life jacket every time they are near a pool. Even it it’s during a fancy ceremony, and wearing the safety device means covering a pretty dress.

* Never put a toy in the pool that will sink to the bottom. A young child may dive to the bottom to retrieve it.

Daland said she is not an advocate of flotation devices. She believes young children should not wear inflatable vests or inflatable armbands, known as floaties, while they are in the water with their parents.

“It gives them a false sense of security,” Daland said. “They think they know how to swim just because they have floaties on. They can also rub against the concrete pool wall and deflate.”

She also does not allow inflatable floating toys in her pool. Children who are not good swimmers may grab onto such a toy to make them feel secure in the water, she said.

Pool supply companies also emphasize safety. At one Thousand Oaks store, a corner display of safety equipment took up a large section of the store.

There, soft mesh fencing for circling a pool was being sold for about $1,800, including installation. Polypropylene mesh pool covers cost from $500 to $1,000 without installation.

An alarm that is tripped when a pool gate--required by state law before a pool can be built--is swung open can be bought for $69.99. A pool alarm that sounds when someone falls into a pool goes for $229.99. There were also safety float lines that mark a pool’s deep end, and swimsuits with removable floats for children.

“The Fourth of July is the busiest pool party day of the year, Memorial Day is No. 2,” said Patrick Dellibovi, merchandising director for Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies. “This is pool party season.

“But even with all these safety devices,” he added, “we still recommend absolute parental supervision.”

Socorro Lopez Hanson, injury and violence prevention coordinator with the Ventura County Public Health Department, agreed.

“Water is a silent killer,” Lopez Hanson warned. “A child could fall into the water and be gone and you’d never know it. And it doesn’t take but a matter of minutes.”

Times correspondent Richard Warchol contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Child Drownings (Ventura County Edition, B3)

1993 was the worst year this decade for child drownings in Ventura County. Following are drownings of children under age 15.

1990: 3

1991: 3

1992: 1

1993: 5

1994: 2

1995: 1

1996: 3

Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ventura County Department of Public Health

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Making Your Pool More Child Safe (Ventura County Edition, B1)

Prevention at the Pool:

Fence: State law now requires new pools and spas have at least one of the following barriers between the home and the pool: a five-foot fence with self-latching gate that opens outward; alarms on all doors leading to the pool; self-closing and self-latching sliding glass doors with release button 54 inches or higher; or an approved safety pool cover.

Rescue equipment: Life preserver rings with 50-foot lightweight line attached, life jackets and shepherd’s crook.

Phone: Have a cordless phone at poolside, in case of emergency.

Poolside Dangers: Keep toys away from pool, especially those a child rides.

Supervision: Children under 14 should be watched by an adult swimmer who knows CPR. The American Red Cross and local hospitals offer classes.

Safety Tips:

Look first in pool: Check for missing children in the pool or spa immediately. Most drownings occur when a child was last seen in the house or other part of the yard, not in the pool.

Brain damage: Toddlers can lose consciousness in just 30 seconds. Irreversible brain damage can occur after four to six minutes.

Screams: A drowning child may not heard. Children are top heavy and tend to go in headfirst, without resurfacing.

Swimming lessons: Classes across the county recommend starting as early as 6 months of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that lessons for children under 4 may lead to a false sense of security.

Adults beware: Alcohol, drugs and swimming don’t mix. Never swim alone.

*

Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL / Los Angeles Times