Port Charlotte dad honors twin sons lost to drowning with water safety push

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WINK) — A Port Charlotte father is working to prevent other families from experiencing the tragedy he endured after losing his twin sons to drowning.

• SEE ALSO: New details released following fatal drowning of child in Port Charlotte

On Jan. 16, 2010, Paul DeMello's 13-month-old twin sons, Joshua and Christian, drowned in a backyard pool. Through his grief, he went on a mission to honor them by starting Just Against Children Drowning, an organization focused on water safety education, pool fencing advocacy, swim lessons, CPR awareness and community outreach.

"They love water, they associate it with playtime, they are attracted to it," DeMello said.

His efforts come during National Water Safety Month as temperatures heat up and Southwest Florida families spend more time in the water. Water safety experts say it can turn dangerous in a split second, especially for children.

"I think my biggest fear…other than not talking about this anymore... is not hearing my kids' names anymore," DeMello said. "I love hearing my sons' names."

DeMello emphasizes the importance of multiple layers of protection to prevent drowning.

"It's either a fence or a coffin," DeMello said. "That's how serious drowning is."

The Lee County Sheriff's Office says there are layers of protection families can take, from pool safety fences and gates to childproof locks and alarms.

"If you don't have that alarm on the slider, if you don't have the fence around the pool, if you haven't taught your kid how to swim, it could be fatal," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. "And there's no words to describe when we have to respond to a scene like that. It's horrific, it's life-changing, it's life-ending."

Drowning doesn't just happen in a backyard pool. Any body of water can take a life.

"The water doesn't care what age you are, what gender you are, what race you are," Sgt. Matthew Ansell said.

According to the Florida Department of Health, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 through 4. DeMello says teaching children to swim isn't just a skill but a lifeline.

"If it could just be one family that we help… or one child that we save from drowning," DeMello said.