San Juan County was hit hard by a tragedy last week.

A 1-year-old boy drifted outside an enclosed play area and was pulled from a pool in the backyard of a home in Farmington. After hanging on to life for two days at an Albuquerque hospital, the young toddler died.

The family is devastated.

The community is saddened.

This situation brings us all a startling reminder about water safety, especially when little ones are involved.

Here's a few stark numbers from the U.S. government:

  • Each year, about 260 children younger than 5 drown in swimming pools.

  • For every child 14 years and younger who died from drowning in 2004, five more received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

  • In 2004, of all children 1 to 4 years old who died, 26 percent died from drowning. Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.

    Whether residents own a pool or allow their children to be around them, parents and guardians must not forget that safety is of the utmost importance.

    Here are a few tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

  • If a child is missing, always look in the pool first. Seconds count.

  • Never use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.

  • Keep rescue equipment and a phone next to the pool.

  • Learn CPR.

  • Have a professional regularly inspect your pool for entrapment or entanglement hazards.

  • Never use a pool with a missing or broken drain cover.

  • Install physical barriers around the pool to limit access. Fences and walls should be at least 4 feet high.

    Parents also should enroll their children in swimming lessons if their children are going to be around pools. Yet, they also should remember that knowing how to swim doesn't mean a child isn't at risk of drowning.

    While swimming pools offer great family fun, don't forget that safety always comes first.

    The safety lesson also applies to rivers, ponds and lakes. Anytime anybody is near a body of water, even at shallow depths, it is vital that all necessary precautions are taken to avoid tragedy.