Several drownings over the weekend and a near-drowning in Aurora on Sunday night — coupled with the opening of Denver’s public swimming pools Monday — serve as reminders that water sports are a popular way to beat the heat but care must be taken.
“Drownings are silent,” warned Cindy Matthews, a spokeswoman with West Metro Fire Protection District. “They are very, very quiet, and you usually don’t notice until it is too late.”
A boy nearly drowned at a swimming pool Sunday night in the Dam East subdivision, said Aurora Deputy Fire Chief Mark Ricard.
Someone at the pool found the boy at the bottom about 5:30 p.m., pulled him out and began CPR, Ricard said.
The boy, who was not named, was taken by ambulance to the Medical Center of Aurora, then flown to Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Denver’s public swimming pools are staffed by lifeguards, but many private pools, including those at apartment and condominium complexes, do not always have guards and simply post safety warnings.
“It’s one thing to post warnings and another to adhere to warnings,” said Lt. Phil Champagne, a Denver Fire Department spokesman.
Immediate aid is crucial with a possible pool drowning, he said. Performing CPR and quickly summoning help are vital in helping victims become survivors.
“The quicker you can get them out of the pool, the better,” Champagne said.
Accidents also happen in lakes and creeks; at least three people drowned over the weekend using Colorado waterways for recreation.
• Christine Beltran, 29, of Santa Fe drowned in Larimer County on Sunday while tubing with friends in the Cache la Poudre River;
• Stephen F. Burns II, 19, of Littleton drowned Saturday in Mesa County in the Little Dolores River;
• And Michael Dennington, a Parker physician, died Saturday when his raft overturned in the Gunnison River.
People using rivers, creeks and lakes for recreation, including boaters and tubers, should wear life vests, Matthews stressed.
In wild-water emergencies, rescuers shouldn’t jump in after someone, she said. Call for help immediately. Try to reach the victim or throw a flotation device, a rope or even a branch.
Often people who attempt to rescue another become victims themselves — that was the case with Burns, who jumped in to help a friend.
Matthews said West Metro has a new loaner life jacket program at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood after a 5-year-old drowned there last year.
The program places life jackets at “loaner stations” at the park’s beach and boat-launch area. When kids are done, they return the life vests.
So far the program is a big hit and the life jackets were in huge demand the past two weekends, Matthews said.
“The biggest thing is just having life jackets available,” Matthews said. “A lot of times, you’ll see kids playing in a river with (no vest on) — all it takes is one slip on the rocks, and the kid is swept downriver with little chance of survival.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
