What Would You Do: Drowning In A Pool

(WSVN) -- Gerald Little teaches kids a lesson that could save their life.

Gerald Little from Little Swimmers: "My number one goal is survival. If you fall in, you're back to the wall."

As a Miami-Dade firefighter, Gerald knows what can happen if a child doesn't know what to do.

Gerald: "If they're struggling, they want their head up as much as possible. Which puts them in a vertical position. That's when the child goes down."

So what do you do if you find a youngster drowning in a pool.

First, check to see if they're conscious...if they are, have them grab onto something to get them to the edge.

If however they are unconscious.

Gerald: "Go ahead, go into the water, if the child is unconscious. This about time right? Yes, you got to do it quickly. Grab the child, bring him out of the water."

But if you do not know how to swim .. don't get in the water because you are likely to drown as well.

Instead, find the phone.

Gerald: "The first thing you want to do is call 911. Get a neighbor somebody around. Definitely call 911."

If its an adult, the same rules apply. But if its an adult you can't lift, make sure their head is above water, call 911, and then go back and begin CPR.

Now the best line of defense is probably knowing what to do outside the water to keep something like this from happening.

If you have a pool at your home. You definitely want to have a pool fence. Children are very curious, they will jump in the water.

You should also have some basic safety gear... Like make sure there is a life saving device and a phone outside near the pool.

Gerald: "This is something that should not happen. It's preventable."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Contact: cperez@wsvn.com