Sitting at her desk in a small eastern Pennsylvania town, Bev Peyton’s computer beeped and instantly she shared a Rowland Heights’ family’s grief as if it was her own.

As a member of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, Peyton is notified whenever a child in the U.S. drowns. Having lost a child to accidental drowning more than two decades ago, she remains steadfast in her resolve to educate the public as to keeping children safe around water.

Last week, a 2-year-old girl drowned in a swimming pool at a Rowland Heights home, according to the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Walnut station. A family member found the toddler unconscious in the pool in the 2200 block of Deepgrove Avenue.

“It shows that drowning never goes out of season,” Peyton said, dispelling the myth that drownings only happen in the summer months.

According to the Center For Disease Control, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14 and in 2007, drowning was the leading cause of death for 2-year-olds.

The NDPA, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. works in conjunction with the USA Swimming Foundation to categorize these accidents throughout the nation and track trends in hopes of teaching prevention, Peyton said.

“There is an attitude that this only happens to bad parents. But drowning is swift and silent. Distractions are a fact of life,” Peyton said. “People must put layers of protection – multiple barriers – in place to protect their children.”

Included in their tips:

• Fence in the immediate area around the pool, not just an area of the backyard.
• Put an alarm on the door, the pool and an alarm can even be put on the child’s wrist. When the surface of the water is broken, an alarm will sound.
• Never leave a child unattended. If having a party, appoint one adult to be a watcher – constantly watching the pool without any distractions.
• Never leave a child alone in the bath. If you must leave for any reason, wrap the child in a towel and take him/her with you.

Because babies are “top-heavy,” Peyton said, they can easily drown inside the house as well. Things to watch include cleaning buckets, drink coolers and toilets.

And just because a child couldn’t open the back door one day, doesn’t mean they don’t learn how to do it the next.

“One of the things we’re trying to educate people on most drowning victims were last seen in the house,” Peyton said. “Children’s abilities change and because they couldn’t open the back door yesterday doesn’t mean they can’t today.”

Above all, Peyton and her group advocate diligence with a child around water.

“I’m also a bereaved parent. I know what it feels like to lose a child,” Peyton said. “If my work prevents even one family from avoiding the anguish my family felt, then it’s worth it.”