If you read my bio, or have followed any of my ActiveRain postings, you know that I love aviation. One of my aviation dreams is to ride in a helicopter. A year ago, during a beautiful Phoenix Saturday afternoon, I was lounging in my backyard pool. I could hear the familiar chop-chop-chop of a helicopter nearing my neighborhood. For some reason, the sound was a little unusual this time. It was much louder. All of a sudden, the bird went right over my backyard. I could have practically reached up and touched those bars that you see hanging down on these beautiful flying machines. It appeared to be landing just down the street from me. Of course, I dried off, threw on a shirt and headed outside to see what was going on.

At the end of my street were firetrucks, ambulances, police cars, and this helicopter landing right on the street. What could it be??? To my horror, I watched as the paramedics loaded a little girl into the helicopter and shut the doors. Away it went. Off into the blue sunny sky.

Of course, I was concerned. I no longer was enamored by the beauty of the flying machine. My thoughts and prayers immediately went out to the little girl and her family. I found out that she was 4 years old and had wandered into the family pool and didn't know how to swim. I cried. I was confused. How could something like this happen? I have learned that this is an all-too-common tragedy in the Valley of the Sun. I watched the evening news that night and learned that the little girl was saved and was recovering nicely. A happy ending to a scary story.

Was there a fence in the backyard of this pool? I don't know. Would a fence have helped to avoid this? I don't know. What I do know is that the Phoenix Fire Fighters Association want to avoid these situations. In an effort to prevent child drowning incidents, the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association in conjunction with Valley of the Sun United Way has a program called Adopt-a-Pool-Fence. Their efforts provide families with one solution to protect their children - a donated pool fence. While I understand that the first precaution is to carefully watch all young children around a pool, a fence can be a helpful barrier.

If a family does not have a pool fence, they may be able to receive a donated fence. The criteria are the following:

• A child 6 years or younger must be living in the home
• The home must be owner-occupied
• Families must demonstrate financial need
• Special Circumstances will be considered
• Families must reside in Maricopa County

Rich Bauer, Director of Community Programs for the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association, said, "This is the most aggressive approach to prevent drowning to date, and the statistics prove that the Adopt-A-Pool-Fence Program is working."

For more information, log onto www.saverkids.org/adopt-a-fence. Let's spread the word to those families in need. Let's help to avoid the tragic event that I witnessed. I challenge everyone to spread the word about the program to increase awareness and/or donate to this specific group. Together, we can make a difference.