Here’s what Clark County is doing to keep toddlers from drowning

While recent warm weather across the Las Vegas Valley ushered in the start of the outdoor swimming season, it also initiated a renewed push by Clark County officials to promote drowning prevention efforts.

Those efforts will include limited free swim classes to children age 4 and under at select indoor pools across Clark County, Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom told reporters at an event Thursday at the Hollywood Aquatic Center in the east valley. According to county officials, about 74 percent of the 38 reported drownings that occurred in Clark County in 2024 involved kids 4 or younger.

While most of those deaths happened in a residential swimming pool, Segerblom said he hopes the program will help reduce the number of drownings across every setting.

“We never want to lose a child to a drowning, or even a (near) drowning because of not knowing what’s going on,” Segerblom said. “You can’t imagine how tragic it is.”

Grant to fund free kids swim lessons

Segerblom on Thursday announced the county’s parks and recreation department was awarded a $2,500 grant to offer the youth swim course for free to residents who applied to have costs of the class covered.

The funds were provided by the Southern Nevada Chapter of the International Code Council, which is donating $25,000 to nine local municipalities and the Southern Nevada Child Drowning Prevention Coalition this year as part of its toddler swim grant program, said Mike Clifford, SNICC’s first vice president.

Last year, the grant program helped pay for swim lessons for about 500 Nevada children, including 86 children who were enrolled in the program through the county.

“One of the many ways our chapter supports our Southern Nevada community through our public outreach committee is our toddler swim grant program,” Clifford said.

Clark County Fire Department Chief Billy Samuels said drownings can occur in a matter of seconds and can be almost completely silent. Parents and chaperones are encouraged to designate someone who can swim with or closely supervise children no matter the size of the body of water.

Keep ‘open eyes’ on children

Samuels also recommended installing barriers to a pool or spa, such as fences, door alarms, locks or pool/spa covers to mitigate drowning incidents related to unsupervised water access. But, above all, a so-called water safety plan should be developed so kids and adults can be on the same page about locating safety equipment and contacting authorities in the case of an emergency, Samuels said.

“We want to ensure everyone enjoys their times around the water this this summer season,” Samuels said. “Please keep an open mind on them and open eyes on those children.”

Registration for summer swim lessons through Clark County will open 7 a.m. May 29, both online or in-person, and free classes through the grant program will only be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, the county offers swim classes to residents of all ages at the Aquatic Springs Indoor Pool and the Desert Breeze and Hollywood Aquatic centers.

Patrick Almeido, acting director of Clark County Parks and Recreation, said the county is also hiring summer lifeguards, and that he believes staffing levels for those positions will be much higher than previous years. In recent years, a shortage of lifeguards since the COVID-19 pandemic had caused many local community pools to alter hours or reduce capacity.

“Shout out to those hundreds of lifeguards who will be working the pools this summer, (and) who will be teaching these swim lessons to these toddlers,” Almeido said, adding that increased lifeguard presence can also prevent drownings. “We can’t thank them enough and appreciate all of their support.”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.