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Water Safety: Swimming Pool Hazards and Children
by Carl Pensington
http://www.flxpool.com
Now that the warm weather is upon us, those who own a
swimming pool, or are thinking of having one installed,
should probably review the basic safety procedures that are
designed to keep children from becoming the victims of a
water tragedy. It only takes a moment for something to go
wrong, and this often happens when those who are designated
to supervise the children around the swimming pool become
too lax in their approach to safety. This is a common
hazard among those whose families are used to having ready
access to a pool, adults sometimes get comfortable with
the routine and aren't alert enough to potential problems.
Each year, many children lose their lives because they are
left alone near a swimming pool. Even children older than
toddlers should not be left alone. Resist your first
impluse to respond to the summons if your phone rings or
someone knocks at the door. Nothing is more important
than the safety of your children. If you leave them alone,
even if only for a moment, at the side of the pool to
attend to some other matter, you are endangering their
lives. There should be no choide at all about which
is the more important to attend to.
If you absolutely have to answer your phone while you are
spending time by the pool with the kids, go for the extra
trouble and have a phone installed near the pool. Or, buy
a portable phone and keep it with you near the pool. Think
twice about answering the front door, just yell for them to
come to the back. The same applies if a neighbor calls you
over to their yard or over the fence.You should never leave
your children unattended at the pool. In case of an
emergency, just take the children out of the pool and bring
them along with you if you need to step away and there is
no other adult to watch them for you.
Some towns are now making it a law that a swimming pool
has to be separated from the house by a fence. You should
do this even if it is not a law in your town. The fence
should be at least 4 feet in height and enclose the entire
pool area. Toddlers wander away from the house and
fall into the pool, causing too many tragedies. The gate to
the pool must be self-closing to prevent this, and this
self-closing system must be beyond the reach of young
children. A life preserver and a hooked tool that will aid
in retrieval, so you should have proper rescue equipment.
When youngsters are in the pool, be sure that they have
approved life vests rather than pool toys or safety gear
that requires you to fill them with air. These can
puncture and can put the children's lives in jeopardy,
possibly causing them to drown before help can arrive.
Distance is a factor, too, and the general rule of thumb is
to always stay within an arm's length of children who are
in or near the pool. Once they've finished playing in the
water, don't make the mistake of leaving toys in or around
the area, since young children find these a great
temptation and often try to retrieve them, putting
themselves in danger, in the process.
You should not give anyone the responsiblity of
supervising your children in a pool unless they are able
to perform CPR. Anyone who is interested can find classes
at schools and community organizations before the beginning
of the swimming season. Take advantage of these classes
yourself and have everyone who will watch your children do
the same. Then, once you have put your safety procedures in
place, you can relax and look foward to a safe, fun summer.
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