Chandler public safety officials have launched a social media campaign urging residents to stay vigilant around water during the cooler winter months.

“Since 2015, emergency crews in Chandler have responded to 97 drowning-related calls, and 20 of those incidents occurred November through February — a period many assume to be low-risk,” the Chandler Police Department wrote in a statement about the campaign.

Blas Minor, a Chandler Fire Department battalion chief and spokesperson, said, in a YouTube video, that just because folks aren’t swimming doesn’t mean water is zero-risk.

“In the November-December time frame, we kind of take some time off from jumping in the pool,” Minor said in the video. “But the bodies of water don’t go away — the ponds in our neighborhoods, the pools in our backyards.”

Minor said it’s important to have children in line of sight if they’re anywhere near a pool.

“We have to remain eyes-on, year-round — especially with the youngest children,” Minor said.

Another video is devoted to tips on how one can float on their back.

A tip on a chandlerazpd.gov page devoted to the campaign reminds Chandler residents that “snowbirds’ and other visiting, non-year-round families to Arizona are often guests during the winter months.

“Children unfamiliar with backyard pools or local canals are particularly vulnerable,” police wrote.

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