Summer Pool Safety
Though fall is just around the corner, we’ve still got a bit of summer stretch to enjoy. With this last bit of summer left, families may be trying to get the best of our pools. While it is fun to enjoy swimming, we must always be wary and smart about how we use these pools to avoid a fatal tragedy.
Safety Tips
As of right now, drowning is the number two cause of death in children under the age of 14. It can take less than two minutes of being underwater for them to perish. This is why it is crucial to take preventative matters and establish safety rules.
• If you have a pool, add fencing and panic alarms that will sound if someone has unexpectedly entered your pool.
• Enroll your child into swimming lessons from a young age. Even if they only learn a basic doggy paddle, it can be enough to keep them afloat until they can pull themselves out or have someone pull them out.
• Put depth markers on the side of your pool. Explain to any children that cannot swim which areas are “off limits”. Only permit diving off of a diving board.
• Have a pool thermometer available and only allow swimming at a certain temperature. If the water is too cold, muscles can cramp and make it harder to stay afloat.
• Make it extremely clear to children that no one is allowed to enter the pool without a parent or adult supervision.
• Have a “closed gate” rule. If the gate is closed, there is to be no swimming.
Swimming will always be a fun summer pastime. Rowing is not. Go out and have fun but always be prepared and always enforce your pool rules. Though they may seem silly, they could initially save a life.
