Three-year-old saves her little sister
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

A Thousand Oaks 2-year-old who fell into a pool and was rescued by her 3-year-old sister is out of the hospital and doing well.

On the morning of June 6, the two girls had walked into a neighbor's backyard in the 1400 block of Ellsworth in Thousand Oaks, according to Tom Kruschke, information officer for the Ventura County Fire Department. A swimming pool in the yard had been drained but still had water in it. When the younger girl fell into the pool, the older sister pulled her out and began screaming, attracting the attention of their mother and the neighbor.

"The little girl was already out of the pool when we got the call at 11:32 a.m.," Kruschke said.

The girl was taken to Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center and released the following day, according to hospital spokesperson Kris CarrawayBowman.

In California, drowning is the leading cause of death among kids ages 1 to 14. Nationwide, more than 4,000 children drown each year. Drownings do increase during summer months when people are more active around bodies of water, says Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Barry Parker, but they occur yearround, especially after heavy winter rains.

"Riverbeds fill up with water. Kids get too close to the edge and are whisked away," Parker said. "Anytime you have an open body of water there's risk of danger."

Supervision is the key to safety whenever children are near a pool, lake or other water, according to the fire department's website. Never leave children unattended, even for a moment. Drownings happen quickly and without warning. Install fences and alarms around the pool.

For more information on keeping children safe in the water, visit www.fire.countyofventura.org or www.safekids.org.