SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – With tears in her eyes, Christina Martin shared the story of her late son, Gunner, who was just two years old when he drowned in a pool.
Ever since, the Martin family has been advocating for pool safety in Seminole County and even across the state.
“I know 1,000% without any doubt if my son Gunner would’ve self-rescued and if we would’ve had door alarms on our doors, he would be here today,” Martin explained.
With spring break starting, leaders are getting results for families with young kids.
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Thanks to a pool safety grant from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 125 children living in Seminole County will be able to receive free survival swim classes at the Swim Life school in Sanford.
Children ranging in age from 6 to 12 years old will be eligible for the lessons.
Additional grant funding also helped the county purchase and distribute free door alarms that alert parents and guardians if a child opens a door leading to a pool.
“Free door alarms, or free pool alarms, please, please I beg you to take advantage of this,” Martin said
Fire Chief Matt Kinley said drownings are the leading cause of death for children 1 to 4 in Florida.
“From a firefighter’s point, responding to pediatric drownings is by far one of the worst calls that we respond on,” Kinley said.
According to the Seminole County Fire Department, crews responded to nine pediatric drowning calls in 2023. Four of those calls were deaths.
“We are all invested in duty bound to help our community prevent these drownings,” Kinley said.
Families interested in swimming lessons can request a swim scholarship voucher through the Swim Life website.
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