You Can Help Save 300 Children’s Lives This Summer

Did you know that approximately 300 children under the age of 5 drown in pools every year? These deaths are preventable!

Here are a few tips on pool safety from PoolSafely.gov, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Red Cross.  These tips apply to any pool but some apply mostly to community pools.

General Safety

• Swim Sober. Alcohol impairs your swimming and diving abilities as well as coordination, balance and your pool judgement also. 
• Swim with a friend – never swim alone.  What if you got a cramp and couldn’t get out of the pool or even to the side?
• If you or your children do not know how to swim, wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket.
• Appropriate safety devices should be available for any swimmer at all times the pool is open. A grab pole and/or a flotation ring, a fully charged phone and a first aid kit are the bare necessities for pool safety devices.
• Obey the lifeguard at all times!  He/She is a trained professional and knows the rules of safe swimming.

Active Supervision

• Watch your children (even teenagers) in the pool area at all times.
• Ensure that your children know the pool rules. 
• Stay alert to any potential trouble.

Fencing

• Make sure the area has isolation fencing.  This is fencing that is at least 4 feet high and encloses the pool area totally and separately from the rest of the area around it. Association/Community pools require a 6 foot fence.

Rules and Signs

• Pool Rules should be posted in a highly visible spot when the pool is open.
• Post a sign that has CPR procedures illustrated.  If needed, this helps save a life and prevents panic when the procedure needs to be initiated.
• A sign with general first aid procedures available for reference is not required but is recommended.

Safe swimming saves lives!