Arizona
Drowning epidemic of 1989 led to many modern safety measures
PHOENIX — This year, 12 people have died in water incidents in Maricopa and Pinal counties. Four of those 12 deaths involved children aged 5 or under.
Several of these have occurred within the last weeks as temperatures rose across the Valley.
With the hottest months ahead, local officials are sounding the alarm.
The “drowning epidemic” of 1989
Jay Arthur, president of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona and a former Phoenix Fire Captain, said drowning is an issue that has gripped the Valley for decades.
The issue was especially pronounced during the summer of 1989.
“It was basically considered an epidemic,” Arthur said.
There were there were 243 calls for drownings in Maricopa County from January 1988 through December 1989, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Fire departments in the Valley began to prioritize water incidents in 1989. This move has since became commonplace throughout the nation, Arthur said.
“They created a thing called the SWIM Team, and it stood for Stop Water Infant Mortality,” he added.
The SWIM Team was a taskforce that brought local fire captains together to tackle the issue of child drownings. That’s where common water safety phrases like “Just a few seconds” came from. It was a common thing first responders heard from parents when describing what led up to water incidents.
“We actually reduced drowning incidents from 103 to 48 in a year,” Arthur said.
That eventually became what is now known as the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona. Its goal is to promote water safety messaging.
Tips to fight the drowning epidemic
To this day, the coalition and local fire departments emphasize water safety prevention, notably the “ABCs” to prevent pool drownings:
- Adult Supervision: A sober adult should be with children in the water with the sole focus of watching the swimmers.
- Barrier: Pool fences and covers can prevent children from getting into the pool when unattended.
- Classes: Young children should be taken to swimming classes. Teens and adults should know CPR. Swimmers who have not taken classes should wear a life jacket.
Arthur believes the “B” of the “ABCs” is something all parents need to do to protect their children.
However, he also acknowledges that fences and other barriers can be expensive and may not always be an option.
“Locks, latches and alarms on your doors are really helpful and inexpensive,” he said.
In other words, lock down any access to the backyard so children cannot get into the pool by themselves. Keep those locks high so children can’t reach them.
“It’s not about being a great parent or not,” Arthur added. “When we have multiple kids, trying to feed the family, cook and clean, we divert our attention, and we can’t keep track of everyone every second of the day.”
When tragedy strikes
If an incident does happen, Arthur says it’s important to act quickly. Drownings can happen in seconds and may be totally silent.
“Get them out of the pool,” he said.
Remove the person from the pool and immediately begin CPR. If this is not done, then the chances of survival are grim, he added.
“We don’t ever want to see a child in a pool when we get there,” Arthur said.
Most of the time first responders arrive and the child is already out of the pool.
“You’ve got an emotionally charged scene,” he said. “A lot of times parents not doing CPR; they’re screaming … begging for us to being their child back to life.”
Doing CPR is critical because it increases the chances of survival — and the chances of a successful recovery. If you are performing CPR on a drowning victim, focus on helping them breathe. Don’t focus on compressions, Arthur said.
“If they wake up to a conscious level, are they going to wake up to a viable brain? To where they can function normally for the rest of their life? It’s all about you giving that breath,” Arthur said.
You can find a list of CPR classes offered throughout the Valley here.
Arizona
2026 MLB Draft: Arizona likely to be minimally impacted after down season
Unlike other major pro sports in the United States, Major League Baseball’s annual draft is hardly must-see television. With 20 rounds of picks—it used to be 50—and very few of them household names, only true baseball diehards closely pay attention beyond the first handful of selections.
For college baseball fans, though, the MLB Draft can bring about some stress and uncertainty since both incoming freshmen and existing veterans are eligible to be selected. The best college juniors and seniors are sure to get drafted and sign, while top recruits may be lured into starting their pro careers early via a hefty signing bonus.
Last year the UA saw nine members of the 2025 squad, which reached the College World Series, get drafted and sign. One of its prep signees also took the money rather than come to Tucson.
The 2026 draft, which begins Saturday and finishes Sunday, won’t be nearly as impactful to Arizona’s roster. Only one current Wildcat with eligibility remaining is assured of being drafted: junior right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski.
Kramkowski, who struggled in the spring after a breakout 2025 season, is ranked as the 205th-best draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 245 by MLB.com. That would put him in the range of the 6th or 7th round to get selected, though he could go earlier. All indications are Kramkowski will sign.
Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess. No other current or future Wildcats are among BA’s Top 500.
Among Arizona’s outgoing seniors, the top candidate to get drafted is left-handed pitcher Patrick Morris, who is currently playing the MLB Draft League. Infielders Tyler Bickers and Maddox Mihalakis could also get picked late or sign as an undrafted free agent.
Draft-eligible juniors other than Kramkowski include lefty Maclain Roberts, catcher Beau Sylvester and outfielders Andrew Cain and Easton Breyfogle. A couple of Arizona’s 2027 newcomers, such as junior college righty Collin Cobb, prep infielder Ayden Deome and catcher Francisco Rivero, are also at risk of getting picked.
Arizona has had 293 players drafted in its history and has had at least two taken every year since 2011.
The first four rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft are Saturday, with NBC airing the first 10 picks starting at 10 a.m. PT before the broadcast switches to MLB Network and later MLB.com. Rounds 5-20 are Sunday on MLB.com starting at 8:30 a.m. PT.
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