Pools offer an escape from summer heat, but parents need to take measures to protect their young children from drowning. "Contrary to popular movie depictions of a drowning person who flails about and calls for help, children just sink and drown," said Joseph Torg, a professor at Temple's School of Medicine. "It happens quickly, silently and without notice. Once submerged, children become disoriented and oblivious to the change in environment from air to liquid," Torg explained. Each year in the United States, about 500 children aged 5 and younger drown in swimming pool mishaps.