EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — After a 12-year-old was saved from potentially drowning Friday night in Utah County, the local Red Cross is urging other Utahns to get trained in CPR.
According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, the boy was found unresponsive in a hot tub near Aster Drive in Eagle Mountain around 7:30 p.m. Officials said the child was in the hot tub for less than five minutes, and an off-duty nurse administered CPR until emergency services arrived.
The child was taken to the hospital, where law enforcement said doctors have a positive outlook on his recovery.
Jeremiah Lafranca, the executive director for the American Red Cross Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter, said it only takes a matter of minutes for everything to change.
“For every minute that the heart is stopped and that blood is not flowing to the vital organs, you're looking at 7-10 percent less of a chance of survival,” he said.
Lafranca said drowning incidents increase during the summer months, and that if you haven’t learned CPR yet, now is the time.
“You turn your back for a minute, and all sudden, the kid disappears, and they're in the pool. And that's the scary thing about it — it only takes a minute or two for that to happen,” he said.
Lafranca said it can be helpful to get a pool fence, always have eyes on the kids, and make sure they wear life jackets.
The most important thing, however, is not to panic if there is a situation where someone is unresponsive.
“Don't go in there and start jostling them around. Make sure you're checking for the pulse, make sure you're checking to see if they're breathing. Then if you feel like it's necessary at that point, you have the training to at least do hands-only CPR, start the chest compressions and make sure somebody is immediately calling 911,” he said.
Lafranca added it’s important to keep these procedures in mind even if your child is a strong swimmer.
“The water is colder than they expected, and it starts to cause the muscles to seize up, and they're not able to swim as far, and that's what results in a lot of drownings,” he said.
The American Red Cross offers classes where residents can learn chest compressions and resuscitation measures. For more information, visit redcross.org.
