I couldnt fathom loosing my little ones, then 2 weeks ago this happened, I cut this from our squads forum I posted it 2 weeks ago
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Gents, Had a bit of a horrific weekend this weekend,which is the main reason you fellas havent seen me on this week. While at my mother in laws house working outside, we heard the neighbor across the street scream, . My wife and I went across the street to see what we could do to help, and find out what was going on. The familys 1 1/2 yrold child got out of the house (who was watching the child i have no idea) and fell into the pool. CPR was done on the child until the ambulance showed up 5mins later, then the EMTs took over CPR.We found out about an hr later that it was all for nothing as the child did not make it.
As a dad this really has screwed me up, picturing the little one on the ground with pb&j still on his face, and finding out an hr after the ambulance left that he died. <end post>
Until this happened a few weeks ago, my mind was not even open to the fact that this could even happen. Now i find myself watching my kids ( boy girl twins 10rs old ) like a hawk (more so than i use too). The pain this woman,or any parent that looses a child, feels could not even be imagined by me,and i pray never is.
Very sad indeed, but as a landscape drafter and designer I have to say that more could of been done to prevent it. Pools are very dangerous in a house full of kids (or even adults with a tendancy to party too hardy). Bottom line is, If you have a pool (kids or no kids living there) have an enclosure for it, there is no excuse to be financialy able to afford a pool, it's anual maintenance costs, but not a child-proof or detering enclosure.
Here in so-cal we hear a lot about neighbors kids sneaking into use another neihgbors pool on a hot day, and tragedy hits. If the enclosure can be secured or locked, lock it (you might be _real_ sorry later in hindsite if keeping a key ontop of your fridge was too much a minor inconvenience). Don't like the idea of a fence around your pool? Try thick hedges or a thick perimiter of roses. Thorn bushes or large salamander/thorn cactus (the small "hairy" salamanderly types are a nightmare near bare-foot areas). My ex grandfather in-law had some teenage kids that would sometimes on a hot afternoon hop a shared backyard fence/wall if they thought nobody was home. A weekend of gardening and installing some hefty cactuses solved that problem for him (the block wall faced south and due to the pool was heavily exposed, so perfect spot for cactus) and the wall by the pool never looked better, especialy when some of the cactus bloom.
Also a touching thread for remembrance, brought back a lot of memories to me of friends now gone far before their time. Each time I regret I was not near or around to help, as I'm sure I could of. As a teenager I went through lifeguard training, EMT training, CPR cources, swiftwater (why is swift + water censored ?!) rescues, and a lot of that stuff thanks to my scoutmaster who was an LA City fire chief, it was a lot of fun and a great experience, learned tons. You can't be everywhere at once, but you can be prepared and educated for when you are there and able to help... the life you save may be your own even. And as social and comunal beings, that's the best we can do as a whole - prepare and educate as many people as possible so that there are more of us out there, prepared. Stuff will always happen, but maybe next time there will be a happier ending.