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Palm Springs fire chief urges pool safety, cites county drowning toll
Summary
Palm Springs Fire Chief Paul Alvarado urged parents and caregivers to use layered pool protections after citing Riverside County figures: 430 ED visits and 24 child drowning deaths from 2020–2024, and said drownings are preventable with supervision, barriers and training.
Paul Alvarado, fire chief for the City of Palm Springs, urged families to treat water safety as a shared responsibility and highlighted stark local figures: "Every day in The United States, an average of 11 people die from unintentional drowning," he said, and noted that between 2020 and 2024 Riverside County recorded 430 emergency-department visits for child drowning or submerging injuries and 24 child deaths.
Alvarado said drownings often occur quickly and silently and that the highest risk is among children ages 1 to 4. He emphasized prevention through several layers of protection — supervision, barriers and training — rather than relying on a single safeguard.
The presentation closed with practical advice for families: designate a responsible adult as a "water watcher," keep rescue equipment and a charged phone nearby, and enroll young children in age-appropriate swim lessons. For local lesson options the presenter pointed listeners to First 5 Riverside County.
