OC parents share near-drowning scare to raise awareness about pool dangers this summer

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (KABC) -- Just three weeks ago, 7-year-old Ezekiel Granados nearly drowned during a family pool party in Garden Grove. His mother, Zho Granados, said she and her husband stepped away briefly to get food, and in a split second, Ezekiel was underwater.

"I forgot there was a deep end and a step that just goes all the way down," Ezekiel said.

"All of a sudden, we just hear commotion and I just see them pull out a body that was limp and I recognized his shorts," Zho said.

A family friend who had previously been a lifeguard immediately jumped in and pulled Ezekiel from the water and began performing CPR.

"There was one girl, Crystal, who had just been CPR certified two weeks prior. One of our family friends, Chris, was a lifeguard 20 years ago. And between both of them, they got him out, gave him CPR, and got him to throw up the water," Zho said.

"It was one of those things, call it a flip of a switch, is the best way I can put it. Reacting and just going through the process," said Chris Montenegro, a family friend.

Thanks to the quick action and CPR of family friends, Ezekiel survived. But the Orange County Fire Authority (OFCA) said this kind of close call is all too common and preventable. To raise awareness, OCFA hosted a reenactment of the near-drowning, showing just how quickly these incidents can happen.

"What we just reenacted here is one of the most common. It's a party, lots of people around. Everyone kind of thinks somebody else is watching the kids in the pool," said OCFA Capt. Greg Barta.

"Always have eyes on them, because it can happen in a second," Zho said.