When it comes to safety, it helps to be proactive and plan ahead. While none of us can completely eliminate all risk, we can be prepared to respond to emergencies in case they do arise. We can also implement certain safety barriers and policies, reducing the chances of such emergencies to start with. Perhaps the most significant factor in making sure your backyard swimming pool is as safe as possible is to realize that a pool presents the possibility of drowning; awareness can help you remain vigilant in your attempts to prevent such a tragedy as well as to respond to the warning signs.
Preparation Can’t Be Overemphasized
You know the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? That’s definitely the case when it comes to drowning prevention. At the same time, though, none of us can afford to naively remain unprepared, as if such an emergency cannot occur in our pools. By taking classes and becoming proficient in first aid, CPR, and water safety (such as those available from your local Red Cross chapter or home pool essentials from the National Swimming Pool Foundation ®, you can take some major strides toward such preparation. Having an emergency kit like this one on hand can be a good idea, too.
Preparation isn’t important for only the supervisors or pool owners, though. Each swimmer or participant can also be well prepared by achieving a basic level of swimming proficiency. Signing up your children for swimming classes — or even hiring a private instructor to teach them and their friends in your own swimming pool — is a great way to encourage swimming skills.
Supervision Shouldn’t Be Neglected
Even the strongest swimmers can have accidents. Since drowning can occur quickly and quietly, it’s important that someone is always vigilant over watching swimmers. Drowning is still the leading cause of death for children under age 4 and the second-leading cause of death for those 14 and under. Contrary to what some people may think, drownings are more likely in backyard swimming pools than in natural water sources. When many people are around and in the pool, there’s often an illusion of safety, allowing one person to easily slip beneath the water’s surface unnoticed. It’s up to you how you decide to structure supervision, perhaps letting each adult know that he is responsible to watch his own children or having each adult take a turn in being on “lifeguard duty.”
To ensure that children aren’t able to easily enter the pool area without proper adult supervision, be sure to have your pool surrounded by a 4-sided safety fence, complete with a self-latching gate.
In addition to the presence of adult supervision, the sobriety of those adults present is absolutely non-negotiable. Incorporating a no-alcohol policy for your pool zone is a definite safety necessity.
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