EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – As temperatures continue to reach triple digits across the border, a local instructor is teaching children survival skills.

Deanna Gutierrez teaches children what to do if they unexpectedly end up in the water.

Gutierrez is a certified toddler swim instructor. She is one of three swim instructors in El Paso.

ISR is not a traditional swimming curriculum. Teachers work individually with each child for 10 minutes a day for six weeks.

“I teach children what to do when they are alone in the water. If they fall in when someone has turned around and they don’t realize it, then they fell in because they pushed something like that in. I teach young children to hold their breath, turn around and float. Basically, it’s staying still in the water until someone comes and picks them up,” the instructor said.

Gutierrez said every student is different.

“Some kids just have it in their blood. Honestly, other kids take a little longer. They struggle a little more, but I’m very patient. And no matter how long they take, I’m there for them,” Gutierrez said.

The ISR program focuses on teaching students fundamentals like swimming and floating in the water. She said it can be scary at first, but it’s part of the process.

“At some point they stop crying because they realize they can do it,” she said.

ISR students receive survival training using realistic scenarios. Children wear clothing during class to simulate what could happen if they fall into the water.

Kristen Rios, a mother of three from Borderland, said it was especially important for her students to learn to swim because she has a pool in her backyard.

“It’s really important that your kids know how to survive. If they fall in the pool, or if they’re ever going to be in a pool or around a pool or around any body of water again, they’re going to make you feel better and give you more confidence in their abilities. They’re going to have more confidence in their abilities,” Rios said.

She said mastering these skills could mean the difference between life and death.

“I think I feel safe. I’d just had a baby and I was always sitting right by the edge of the pool. I felt included and it’s only ten minutes a day so maybe I was a little nervous in general. But once I was there, right by the pool, I felt very close to Deanna and my son. And after that I wasn’t scared anymore. And he grew so fast in the water, it was like he was swimming, he was a year and a half old and he just swam to the wall and it was really magical,” she said.

IRS typically targets children between the ages of six months and six years, but Gutierrez said she also teaches adults.

Their next class starts on Monday, August 19th. Some places are still available. If you would like more information, you can email [email protected].