North Pima News

In honor of National Water Safety Day, a Phoenix family shared their harrowing testimony with local media to spread awareness; Matthew Damore and his family stood near their backyard pool on Monday afternoon where his son nearly drowned four years ago.
It was an August evening in 2019 when Matthew went swimming with his sons Wick and Watson, ages 6 and 4 at the time.

The two boys had taken swimming lessons from an early age. However, Damore knew to be careful and not let them swim alone. The family even had proper barriers with a pool fence installed to ensure the kids couldn't get in without a parent present.

During their swim, they played games with the pool light and Wick wanted to show his dad some flips and tricks he could do underwater. That's when the unimaginable happened to the Damore family.

“I turned around and started walking towards the pool light, which is on the far end of the pool, I saw my one son with his floaties on," Damore added. “And then I said, where's Wick?"

That's when he found his 6-year-old son Wick floating suspended between the bottom of the pool and the surface of the water. Damore rushed to remove him from the water and begin life-saving measures: performing CPR and calling 911.

Firefighters from nearby Phoenix Fire Station 31 responded within minutes and evaluated young Wick. Captain Blake Trivison was leading the crew that responded to the Damore household. Finding Wick was alert and responsive, the crew completed a comprehensive evaluation and transported Wick to a local pediatric facility in stable condition for definitive treatment.

Captain Trivison and the crew reunited with the Damore family four years after the incident. The firefighters made a special helmet for Wick and had safety information and Phoenix Fire memorabilia for him and his brother.

Phoenix Fire thanks the Damore family for sharing their story to bring awareness to water safety.

Damore wants to ensure parents know this could happen to anyone. He said, “Never take your eyes off kids around water – even if you're in the water with them which was a shock to me being in the pool with my kids and this happening."

Learn more about water safety and Phoenix Fire's drowning prevention campaign, #DrowningZero. Swimming classes, CPR lessons, and pool fences are available through city programs and the Local 493.

Related Social Media Hashtags and Handles: @PHXFire #PHXFire #BeNice #Phoenix #PhoenixFire #DrowningZero #WaterSafety

Keywords: Drowning prevention, water safety, testimony    

Original source can be found here.