As the temperatures continue to rise, the Queen Creek Fire and Medical Department is reminding residents to be safe around water and help prevent drownings.

According to the Children Safety Zone, there have been 26 water-related incidents in Maricopa and Pinal counties so far this year. Fifteen of those cases were fatal. Five of the victims were under the age of 5.

“As friends and family gather for Memorial Day weekend, it is particularly important to be mindful of water safety,” stated QCFMD Chief Vance Gray, in a press release. “We encourage the ABCDs of water safety to help prevent these tragic incidents.”

The ABCDs of water safety are:

• Adult supervision
• Barriers between children and water
• Classes in CPR for adults and swim lessons for children
• Devices near water including rescue rings, hooks and lifejackets

QCFMD offers these  tips:

• Always look in the pool first – Every second counts when an individual is drowning, and time is often wasted looking elsewhere. Always look for missing individuals, especially children, in the pool or spa first.
• Drowning is silent – Many people believe they will hear someone drowning because the individual will be screaming or splashing. However, drowning is silent with the individual unable to make noise.

If you find someone in any source of water, you should:

• Yell for help and pull the person out of the water
• Immediately call 911
• Begin CPR if you are trained
• If you are not trained to administer CPR, follow the instructions from the 911 operator until help arrives

QCFMD offers free CPR classes, with the next community class taking place on Saturday, June 24. To sign up call QCFMD at 480-358-3360 or email cprclass@queencreekaz.gov.