According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children aged 1-14 years old. More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children aged 14 years old and younger.

In California, according to the Orange County Fire Authority, drowning accidents are the leading cause of injury/deaths among children under age five, most of which happen in residential backyard pools or spas.

Tragically, 2-year old twins Annalise and Aspen Niva-Wiggle died in a drowning accident. The toddlers, who were playing tea party drowned in the family’s backyard pool when their mother dozed off.

Although a 41/2 foot wrought iron fence has been placed around the pool, the padlock apparently wasn’t fully locked at the time of the accident. One twin died on the way to the hospital and the other the following morning.

An overwhelming majority, 66 percent of all drowning accidents at 66 percent happened in the family pool. The remaining 33 percent happened in a pool owned by friends or relatives and recreational areas such as parks.

Drowning accidents among young children can easily be prevented if parents or pool owners exercise due diligence in making their pools safe.

Here are some tips from the Orange County Fire Authority for pool safety:

•    The pool should be completely fenced and the barrier should at least be five feet high.
•    Gates should be opened outward away from the pool and self-closing and self-latching.
•    Small children should not be able to reach the gate latch and should be placed at the top of the gate.
•    There should be additional layers of protection such as safety covers, alarms on doors, motion detection devices.
•    Nothing beats adult supervision despite having pool covers, gates, fences and locks.