Swimming Pool Safety

Aren't swimming pools wonderful? For me it's one of the nicest things about living in a warm climate. To look out onto a beautiful sparkling blue swimming pool is indeed a luxury to be enjoyed. Personally I love to spend hours by the pool, relaxing, swimming and having fun with my kids.
But, yes I'm sorry there is a BUT. Swimming pools can also be deadly. 100’s of children drown every year in swimming pools. Why? Well here’s what Bob Lyons from Safety Turtle says.
“Because the risk of accidental drowning is underestimated by adults of all ages.”
I agree 100% with Bob. People don’t realise the dangers and don’t realise just how quickly a child can drown.
A child can drown in less time than it takes to answer the telephone.
Shocking fact isn’t it?
Yet with a few simple precautions you can make your pool safe so that you and your family can enjoy your pool and stay safe.
Here are my top tips.
· Parents can’t be awake for 24 hours a day. Make sure that access to a swimming pool is blocked. Children have been known to wander to the swimming pool whilst parents are still sleeping. Installing a fence around the pool is one way to do this. Depending on the age of your child add safety gates around the house so that access to the pool is blocked.
· There are several excellent swimming pool alarms on the market now. There are alarms which detect movement in a pool should your child or someone else’s fall into the water or there are personal immersion alarms (anti-drowning alarms) which usually fit onto the individual child’s wrist. If they fall into water an alarm will sound. The personal alarms are a great solution if you are on holiday with a swimming pool close by.
· Teach your children to swim as early as possible. The first thing you should do is show them how to tread water in the pool and show them how to get to the edge of the pool and get themselves out. Calmly explain that if they ever fall into the water they need to stay very calm and remember what you have taught them. They should also shout loudly and clearly for HELP. Practice often.
· Once your child has mastered basic swimming skills, play pool games, diving games and races. All of these things when supervised will build your child’s strength in water.
· If your children have friends over or you have more than one child encourage them to be good buddies. Encourage them to watch out for each other in and around the pool.
· Children should never jump on, push or pull other children in the pool – Explain that this is dangerous and can lead to a child drowning.
· If your child spots someone in difficulty in the pool, explain to them that they should get out of the water and quickly attract attention to that person. They should never try to help themselves as they could easily get dragged underwater by someone else who is panicking.
Please always remember that although I have recommended the use of safety equipment there is no substitute for careful adult supervision.
Think of your swimming pool in the same way you think about your car. When you get in your car and go on a journey you put your seatbelts on and put your children in car safety seats. We do this automatically and then get on with enjoying the journey. Do the same with the pool, a few simple precautions and it’s ready to enjoy.
Have fun and STAY SAFE.