So far this year, 18 children under age 12 have drowned in Maricopa County, a sharp increase from the 12 total reported in 2023.
In the past week alone, two children drowned in separate incidents at short-term rental properties in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Both homes lacked fenced pools and had insufficient safety measures, raising concerns among safety advocates.
Jay Arthur, president of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, stresses the importance of additional safety measures for properties with pools.
"If you do have activities in the pool, once you get in that you take the extra enforcement of locking and securing doors that lead back out to the pool area," Arthur said. He advocates for installing extra locks on sliding doors and using alarms to alert occupants if a child attempts to access the pool area.
Arthur also highlights a common issue with short-term rentals: many renters sign agreements without fully understanding or noticing crucial pool safety information.
"We just see so many people have the attitude, 'It's not gonna happen to them; it's gonna happen somewhere else, to somebody else that they see on the news or hear about,'" Arthur said.
The Drowning Prevention Coalition continues to push for increased awareness and stricter enforcement of safety protocols.
