Karen Cohn Discusses Water Safety on ABC 15 Phoenix Ahead of Labor Day Weekend

As Labor Day weekend approached and Arizona families prepared to spend time at the lake or pool during one last stretch of summer heat, Karen Cohn, Co-Founder of The ZAC Foundation, joined ABC 15 Phoenix to share her family’s story and offer guidance on keeping children safe around water.

Cohn recounted the loss of her six-year-old son, Zachary, in a pool drain entrapment, explaining that despite close supervision and swim lessons, she and her husband had no idea that a missing or loose drain cover could create hundreds of pounds of suction pressure, posing a danger even to strong swimmers. She urged families never to swim near a pool drain and to keep a pool closed until any damaged or missing cover is repaired.

Turning to the long weekend ahead, Cohn walked through the ABCDEs of water safety: A for adult supervision, B for barriers, C for classes covering both swim lessons and CPR training, D for devices and drain safety, including wearing life jackets while boating, kayaking, or paddle boarding, and E as a reminder that water is everywhere, since young children can drown in just a few inches of water while bathing. Cohn also referenced a recent drowning incident near Phoenix in which a two-year-old survived because CPR was administered immediately.

Asked why she has continued this work, Cohn said it is both a way of honoring Zachary and a mission to spare other families the same loss.

Watch Karen Cohn’s full interview on ABC 15 Phoenix.