JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The drowning a 2-year-old boy this weekend in a backyard pool on the Westside has put a spotlight on pool safety.
Colton Holbrook died Saturday afternoon he wandered into the pool while his father and stepmother thought he was sleeping, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
Police said the pool was properly secured, but the boy somehow managed to get through the gate.
According to News4Jax records, the toddler is the eighth child to drown in Northeast Florida this year.
It's a parent's worst nightmare.
"Fifteen percent of these drownings that are toddlers and preschoolers, the parent or the caregiver thought the child was sleeping," said Cynthia Dennis, with Safe Kids Northeast Florida. "So it's not an uncommon thing. That's where you have to have these barriers in place ahead of time because they're curious."
Dennis said the Florida Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act requires pools built after 2000 to have one of the following four safety options in place:
- A barrier around the pool such as a gate,
- An approved safety pool cover,
- Exit alarms of 85 decibels that can be heard from 10 feet away on all doors and windows with direct access from the home to the pool,
- Or a self-closing and self-latching device on all doors that have direct access from the home to the pool.
If the option chosen is a pool barrier, it must be at least 4 feet tall.
Dennis said 90 percent of pools in Florida were built before the year 2000, so it’s important for homeowners with pools to take responsibility.
"The greatest risk is children under 5. It’s best to have multiple layers of protection, so sort of a fail-safe system, so if one of these barriers does not work then hopefully one of the others will," Dennis said. "So it’s really important to follow best safety practice not just the law
The more safety options around the pool and home, the less likely a tragic accident could occur.
Something else that can help prevent children from getting to a pool is a fenced-in yard and a gate with the latch high on the door -- making it difficult for a child to get in from the other side.
Safe Kids Northeast Florida and Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Northeast Florida work together have to provide very helpful information on their website.
According to Safe Kids Northeast Florida, swimming lessons are so crucial. Safe Kids recommends children begin them at age 4. But if a child has higher chance of drowning -- having a pool in their backyard for instance -- it can’t hurt to start them sooner.
As for the infant swim lessons that teach them how to float if they fall into the pool, Safe Kids advises parents should talk to pediatricians, saying each situation is different.