TUCSON, Ariz. — For the first time since 2010, no children drowned in Pima County in a calendar year.
That's according to the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona (DCPA), who gathers data on drowning deaths in the county from various fire agencies. Last year was the first time no one under 18 drowned in Pima County since the group first began collecting the data, in 2010.
The Pima County Medical Examiner's Office, which releases the official numbers on drownings each year, hasn't yet released its count of drowning deaths in 2019.
Three adults did drown in Arizona in 2019 -- one reported by the Tucson Fire Department, and two reported by Rural Metro Fire Department. An adult is classified as anyone 18 years old and older.
There were 11 drowning incidents reported by Pima County fire agencies last year -- four involved children ages 5 and under, and two involved children ages 6 to 12, according to the DCPA.
The number of child drownings in previous years varied from as few as one to as many as five.
A fire official with the Drexel Heights Fire District also said 2009 was the first year fire department officials unified behind the "ABCs of Water Safety" message, crediting the campaign with the drop in water deaths.
The ABCs stand for:
A= Active Adult Supervision
B= Barriers like fencing, alarms, gates, etc.
C= Classes (swim lessons & CPR) and Coast Guard approved life jackets.
Click here for the full report of 2019 drowning incidents in Pima County, and click here for the report on all water incidents in Pima County since 2009.
