Make Your Pool Safe This Summer

Don’t look now, but summer may finally be here. We went from winter to summer, back to a soaking wet spring, and now, the warm weather appears to be here. Warm weather usually means finding a place to cool off, and a pool is usually the first choice of many.

Having a pool is a lot of fun, but sometimes dangerous. It’s a fact that more children are killed each year in swimming pool accidents than by handguns!

Submersion incidents usually happen in familiar settings; 89 percent of these incidents happen in the family’s own pool or one owned by a friend or relative. These incidents happen very quickly. A child can drown in a pool in the time it takes to answer a phone call. Survival depends on rescuing someone quickly and restarting the breathing process, even when a person is still in the water. Seconds count in preventing death or brain damage.

It is also important to remember that these are “silent deaths.” There is usually no splashing or screaming to alert anyone that a person is in trouble. People near the pool area often report to emergency responders that they heard nothing out of the ordinary. The person just slips under the water silently. Parents need to understand that any pool poses a drowning risk.

Parents and caregivers should take these critical steps to protect children from drowning hazards in all types of pools:

• Always be prepared for an emergency by having rescue equipment (life rings, poles, etc.) and a phone near the pool at all times.

• Consider purchasing and installing an alarm for the entrance gate to your pool. This will let you know when kids are attempting to enter or leave the pool area.

• Parents should take the time to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

• Not one single layer of protection is foolproof to prevent drowning in pools. Use as many layers of protection as possible. Multiple barriers and constant supervision are essential to protect children in everyday situations.

• Remember that barriers such as a fence, wall, door alarms or pool covers are not childproof. They only give an adult additional time to locate a child before the unexpected becomes a reality. Check for local ordinances regarding fencing requirements around your pool.

• In above ground pools, ladders should be removed when the pool is not in use.

• Instruct babysitters about the potential hazards with pools and emphasize the need for constant supervision at all times. This usually means staying off the phone and limiting guests or friends to the pool area.

• If a child is missing, CHECK THE POOL FIRST! Every second counts in a drowning incident. Check the entire pool area, the bottom and under any inflatable toys in the pool.

• Flotation devices are not to be used in place of competent adult supervision, but should be used by kids when swimming if needed.

• Remove all toys in and around the pool area when not in use. Toys are an automatic attractant to the pool.

• Just because a child has had swimming lessons, don’t assume that they are drownproof. Again, they must be supervised at all times when in and around a pool.

• If an adult is consuming alcohol, taking drugs or sedatives, no one should be in, or around the pool area. This is certainly NOT a competent adult.

Follow these tips, maintain barriers, and always encourage safe behavior around a pool. Nothing can take the place of constant watchfulness and supervision by a competent adult. It doesn’t take a lack of attention for a drowning accident to happen, but merely a lapse in attention.

Many of these same tips apply to open bodies of water, such as oceans, lakes or rivers, which may necessitate further precautions. There are more “unknowns” with open bodies of water than with a pool. Depths, currents, and undertows all should be considered when deciding to take the plunge.

Avoid accidents with these swimming pool safety strategies to help ensure years of fun for your family and guests swimming in your pool.

Lieutenant Denny Hughes is a fire & safety educator with the Farmington Hills Fire Department. He may be reached at 248-871-2800 or at dhughes@fhgov.com.