A new device using underwater cameras and alarm systems is designed to prevent the drowning accident that changed the life of a Florida mother and turned her into a swimming safety activist.
Sophia Brizeus speaks to parents and schools about water safety, especially for young children.
“Water is fun, but we need to be safe around the water and we want people to know the dangers,” Brizeus said. “Drowning doesn't make noise. It's not like in the movies. [where] He's waving his arms around.”
It's a painful lesson she's reminded of every year at this time.
Her daughter, Soraya Stevens, drowned in their family's swimming pool during a family gathering in July 2018. She was 23 months old.
“We were at my mom's house, it was a Sunday,” Brizeus said, “and I just heard screaming, and when I came over, Soraya was already on the floor and one of my sisters was giving her CPR.”
The toddler drowned one week before he was scheduled to start his first swimming lesson.
It's the type of tragedy that developers of a new AI-powered pool alarm say could happen at any time, which is why they developed MYLO, a device that acts as a virtual lifeguard.
“They have the eyes of a lifeguard,” says Jonathan Jacobovitz, spokesman for Coral Smart Pools, which sells the product, “and the mind of a lifeguard.”
The device sends text alerts if anyone approaches or enters the pool, and it also sounds an alarm in the pool and inside the home if someone appears to be drowning.
“The whole point of this device is to provide an extra layer of safety,” Jacobowitz said.
But, of course, this doesn't replace current safety guidelines such as fenced pools and having “water lifeguards” supervise swimmers.
The Florida Department of Children and Families reports that 64 children have drowned in the state this year.
Last year, 99 people drowned.
Although it's a very painful thing to talk about, Brizeus said it's worth sharing stories of loss if it can help save a life.
“If my story can save one family from the tragedy that I experience every day, then Soraya's death will not have been in vain,” she said.
