With summer comes swimming and pools provide an excellent means of recreation for family and friends. However, drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five in Florida, Arizona, and California with a ranking of number two for over a dozen other states. For every drowning there are eleven near drowning incidents, according to government statistics; many of which result in totally disabling brain damage. The majority of the parents involved were responsible people who thought it could never happen to their family. They were careful and had close supervision over their children. Many were in good income brackets, educated, and could afford nice homes with pools in family oriented communities. So, we are literally talking about people who could live next door to you.
Whether or not you have a swimming pool at your house, you should be aware of 5 things you can do to protect your children around water and pools. Eric Lupton, Vice-President of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance and President of the Life Saver Pool Fence wants to remind parents of water safety, especially around the 4th of July. They use the phrase "layers of protection" to describe the best ways to prevent drownings.
Proactive parent supervision is the number one way to prevent drownings. Active supervision means sitting close to the pool with your full attention on the child/children. This means put the phone or book down and pay attention. We recommend designating at least one person as a Water Watcher, and change shifts every 15 minutes. However, most drownings occur when a child was thought to be in the house. A parent was responsible for supervising the child in 67% of fatal drowning cases. So, supervision can and does fail, and which is why additional layers of protection are needed. Here are FIVE additional ways to protect your child.
FIRST, High locks on all doors and windows. Locks out of the reach of children should be installed on every door and window that leads to the pool area. Some drownings happen because a parent didn't know their child had figured out the door knob, so don't rely on the door being shut. Any pet doors that grant access the pool should also be shut.
SECOND, A Pool Safety Fence is perhaps one of the most reassuring steps is installing a pool fence. Fences should be at least 4' tall and have a self-closing, self-latching gate. Mesh pool safety fence, like Life Saver Pool Fence, has proven to be an effective layer of protection for over 45 years. With its transparent and aesthetically pleasing look, they are easy to remove when you want to.
THIRD, Alarms - You may not even hear a drowning; they tend to be silent. Alarms break that silence. There are many alarm options to choose from door/window alarms, alarms that sit in the pool, and our favorite, the Safety Turtle which is worn on the child. If the child falls into the pool, an alarm inside that house goes off.
FOURTH, swimming lessons are important! As soon as a parent and pediatricians feel comfortable, all children should receive swimminglessons. Some organizations even offer training for infants to roll over and float, and to swim to the edge of the pool in case they fall in.
FIFTH, CPR - As a precautionary measure (if all of the other layers of protection fail) parents should be trained in CPR. This training can make the difference between life, permanent disability, and death.
The goal, with instituted layers of protection, is to come as close to a "fail safe" system of preventing drowning incidents as possible. This way, if there is a momentary lapse of supervision for whatever reason, we have several backup systems in place. If you own a pool this is a must! Install a protective safety barrier or pool fence that will eliminate access to the pool for young children and pets.
If you miss your child always check the pool first, even if access is thought to be restricted, and then look elsewhere. In a drowning accident, seconds can make the difference between death, recovery, or just survival.
Parents and Community groups...feel free to download the POOL SAFETY GUIDE Here!
Have a great summer, just BE SAFE!
Call today for more information on securing your pool: Life Saver Pool Fence Systems, Inc. - 1-800-282-3836 - www.poolfence.com
