Burleson firefighters are responding to the drowning death of Kumani Hyles, 2, of Burleson by doubling down on their efforts toward water safety and CPR training, Fire Chief Ken Freeman said.
"We can never let our guard down," he said. "Drowning happens quickly and it is silent. This tragedy makes us even more determined to get our message out to pool owners."
Firefighters responded to a call at 12:35 p.m. Sunday in the 200 block of Short Street. CPR was being administered to the 2-year-old when firefighters arrived on scene.
"We took over CPR and continued to administer it until MedStar arrived," Freeman said. "We had two or three firefighters who rode in the ambulance with the child to Cooks [Children's Medical Center], continuing to administer care. We administered CPR from the time we made scene until we arrived at Cooks."
He planned to gather with Station No. 2 firefighters to review the call Wednesday, anticipating to learn more detail as to the circumstances that led to the drowning.
"The death of anyone, but especially a child, is traumatic to our fire crew," Freeman said. "Losing a young life is a horrible outcome for a family, our firefighters and the community."
Hyles was pronounced dead at 1:41 p.m. Sunday at Cooks Children's Medical Center. The Tarrant County medical examiner has ruled it as an accidental pool drowning.
"I believe this demonstrates that we have to stay vigilant in furthering our anti-drowning message," Freeman said. "We have lost a young life. We can't be satisfied with the progress we have made. We must reach out into every neighborhood and pool owner in the community."
Burleson firefighters teach a free monthly CPR class and Freeman has praised Firefighter Jules Knight for her efforts in water safety education.
"We're going to be stepping up our efforts there," Freeman said. "This unfortunate drowning shows the need to certify as many as we can in CPR. That will be among our top priorities in increasing safety in our community.