Pool & Water Safety

Whether you are at home or on vacation, it is imperative that rules be set about how children are expected to act when they are around a pool. Children should fully understand the dangers that surround a pool and other water sources throughout the home. Pool areas should be monitored with as much perseverance as a lifeguard monitors the ocean on a daily basis during the Summer months. The supervisory capacity of a home pool, however, requires monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The need for a rigid safety program in a home with a pool installed can not be over-emphasized. Children are not aware of the danger that they are faced with every time they pass by a pool. There are many homes that assign water monitors when the home is filled with people for a family party.

The cleaning chemicals used for pools should be stored where small children can not come in contact with them. Parents should be aware of where their child is at all times when there is a pool installed on the property, and should take precautions to ensure that children do not become trapped in open containers around a pool. Children have the tendency to become trapped by large open containers around a pool area, and fall in head first unable to help themselves out.

Many homes have child-proofed their pool areas by installing barriers to keep children out of a pool. The barriers are normally constructed with a see-through mesh material that will not block the view of the pool swimming area. These barriers are placed at pool entry ways, and are armed with doors that feature an alarm system. The pool area barrier should have a minimum height of 48 inches, and come equipped with a lockable gate that can be used when the pool area is left unattended.

Many parents choose to water-proof their children with swimming lessons when they are only babies. The babies learn to turn in the water and keep their heads above the water line until someone can reach them. These classes teach children how to enter the water correctly, relax when they are in the water, and they even know how to reach the side of the pool.

All of these methods give adults in a home environment more time to save innocent children from drowning. Some parents place floatable rings on children’s arms to prevent drowning but they are not 100 percent effective, but any measure that will add seconds to the time the child’s head can be kept from going underwater will be a blessing.

There should be an emergency plan in place in the event that an accident happens. Children should be taught how to use all of the emergency numbers that are available, and especially 911. Children should know what the pool rules are, and that they should never enter the water without an adult being with them in the water. All parents need to be certified in Infant Child CPR and first aid techniques.