As a preschool-aged girl stepped into 3 1/2 feet of water at the city pool, Tim Powers didn't hesitate to react.

Fully clothed, Powers jumped in the water, grabbed the bobbing girl and pulled her to safety.

The girl had stepped off a teaching platform March 4 used in swimming lessons for preschool-aged children, said Doug Gannon, who manages the city's two public swimming pools.

"The instructor turned around, but by that time he had stepped in," Gannon said of Powers. "It didn't get to the level to where the child took in any water and it'd be a risky assumption that it ever would have."

There were three instructors in the class with the 13 children, he said.

"We have a minimum ratio of one instructor to every five children," Gannon said. "That number is required for children that age. We follow the Red Cross guidelines."

The "water exploration" course is designed to help small children feel safe in water, Gannon said.

Instructors do this with supported floating and kicking and by helping the children feel comfortable putting their faces under water. The 12-hour classes are offered from March through November.