Update: Small Child Drowns At Patrick Air Force Base
By Space Coast Daily // October 24, 2012
15-Month-Old In Critical Condition
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – A 15-month-old boy taken to the hospital after being pulled from an ornamental pond at Patrick Air Force Base was pronounced dead Wednesday night.
Lt. Jeff Taylor of Brevard County Fire Rescue said firefighters from Brevard County Fire Rescue Station 62 were dispatched for a possible pediatric drowning in the 600 block of Sand Dollar Cove in the North Housing area of Patrick Air Force Base about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Taylor said units arriving at the scene were assisted on scene by Patrick Air Force Base security staff and members of the Patrick Air Force Base Fire Department.
The boy was found in a landscaping water feature near the entrance of his home.
According to paramedics, the small “pond” had a depth of less than six inches of water.
He was transported by ambulance to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne in critical condition where he was pronounced dead.
The scene was turned over to officials from PAFB and an investigation into the accident is likely.
Brevard County Fire Rescue and the American Red Cross urge all residents, especially parents of young children, to maintain constant supervision of children around all types of water environments no matter their skill level in and around water.
Drownings can happen in an instant, often in the time it takes to answer a phone call or step inside for a towel. Drownings are preventable.
According to the Florida Department of Health, Florida loses more children ages 1 to 4 to drowning than any other state.
Florida overwhelmingly led the nation with the highest unintentional drowning rate in the nation for the ages 1 to 4 group (with a rate of 6.98 per 100,000 population) for 2007 to 2009.
For more information about early childhood drowning prevention, visit the Florida Department of Health’s website at http://doh.state.fl.us/DEMO/
