The video’s first images trigger every parent’s protective instincts.

A 10-month-old baby sits alone on a raft floating in a pool, dressed in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt.

Suddenly, the raft is upended by an adult, and the fully-clothed infant is tipped headlong into the water.

But almost immediately, he flips onto his back and kicks himself into a horizontal float, his face above water, little arms outstretched and legs kicking slightly to hold his position.

He’s allowed to float in that position for nearly a minute before the adult steps back into the frame and scoops him up for a triumphant hug.

The adult in the video is not a negligent parent or callous stranger. She’s Tammy Gallo, a certified infant and child survival swim instructor, and the baby is one of her students who recently passed his survival skills test in Edmond.

Gallo, a Loyal area resident, invested seven weeks of her time and several thousand dollars of her money to become a certified instructor so that she can offer the classes to local children and parents at Vernie Snow Aquatic Center.

But for this lifelong water lover, the commitment of time and money was a no-brainer.

“According to the Center for Disease Control, drowning is the No. 1 cause of accidental death in children ages 1 to 4,” she said. “If these classes can save even one child, that makes it all worthwhile.”

Starting with mud puddles as a toddler, through her career as a physical therapist certified as an aquatic instructor teaching disabilities, Gallo has had a lifelong attraction to bodies of water.

“Water has always fascinated me,” she said. “My mother could never keep us out of the mud puddles and I grew up fishing, swimming, water skiing and lifeguarding.”

Most recently, Gallo has been teaching morning and evening water aerobics classes at Vernie Snow Aquatic Center and City Manager Dave Slezickey has encouraged her to expand her programming to make the most of one of the city’s most popular assets.

As a mother and grandmother, Gallo has always been cognizant of the danger water poses to infants and children. She started researching survival skills training and discovered an instructor training program in Edmond.

Gallo said the intense training involved study, observation and then hands-on teaching under the supervision of a trainer who offered suggestions and corrections.

She described the survival swimming method as a gentler approach than traditional swim rescue classes.

“We spend a little more time with snuggles and play time so children aren’t scared of the water yet are still equipped to survive,” she said.

“We use toys to make it fun even though they work hard.”

Babies as young as four months old (the age when the epiglottis automatically closes so water won’t be inhaled) can learn the skills, Gallo said.

In addition to finding their air in a back float position, babies will learn to gradually extend their float time and older infants and children will learn a swim-float-swim technique, allowing them to reach a point of safety without exhausting themselves.

She’ll teach a parent-infant class for babies from four-12 months and then one-on-one lessons with children ages 1-7 years.

The classes are 20 minutes long over six-eight weeks and every child goes at his own pace, mastering each skill before progressing to the next.

To enroll for classes beginning Aug. 26, contact Gallo at

(405)261-9175.