This season’s swim season is fast-approaching. As a family with a pool you should be aware that there is a check-off list of things to do to prepare for a summer of fun in the pool. Some requirements include: the pool chemicals must be regulated, the pump must be functioning properly, the water must be purified, the deck must be scrubbed clean, etc. Now that the pool is sparkling and the deck foundation is sanitary your pool appears inviting for family and friends to enjoy. In spite of all of your groundwork, are your children and their friends ready for the water? The next few paragraphs will help convey the answer to that very important question.
Poolcenter.com has documentation on something that we need to discuss, drowning accidents; go to: http://blog.poolcenter.com/article.asp?articleid=6135
Once there, you will discover many statistics; following are the ones that we need to consider:
- Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less.
Orange County, CA, Fire Authority
- The majority of children who survive (92 percent) are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children who die (86 percent) are found after 10 minutes. Nearly all who require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die or are left with severe brain injury.
National Safe Kids Campaign
Poolcenter.com continues: There was some good news in 2010 as 2010 did see a reduction in USA drowning of children during the summer. The average number of children lost is close to 200 per season. 2010 was lower at 172 children (under the age of 15) drowning between May 31 and September 6th.
One more comment from Poolcenter.com: Fewer swimming pool drownings in 2010 is little consolation for the families of 172 children lost this year. There still is a long way to go, with education and resources to continue to reduce the tragedies that bring such a black cloud over our industry. Over 180 non-fatal incidents occurred at our nation’s pools and spas this summer.
The title of this blog: “Is it SAFE around YOUR POOL?” asks a very important question as I am going to discuss how to assist you to help make the pool and surrounding area more people-friendly. I propose to divide the following discussion into four areas of interest: 1. Education; 2. Supervision; 3. Emergency; and 4. Skills. Several of these items may appear “obvious” to you while others might be a “why did I not think of that”?
Education:
- When a pool is idle, stash the toys out of sight. Gather the toys and other “inviting” items after each swim session and place them out of view so that children are not enticed to explore when it is not pool time.
- Chewing gum and food are not permitted in the pool. While swimming and splashing with friends, a piece of gum can be lodged in the swimmer’s throat, blocking breathing.
- Use sunscreen in sun as well as on cloudy days. The site essortment.com states: The sun plays a huge factor in summer accidents and illnesses. Sunburn and sunstroke victims are treated daily in hospitals and clinics across the country and in nearly all of the instances could have been avoided. Sunscreen is an essential deterrent for serious sunburns, which can result in conditions leading to dermatological problems or even skin cancer.
- Buddy swim (or Mommy/Daddy swim), from kidshealth.org: “Buddy up!” That’s what swimming instructors say. Always swim with a partner, every time — whether you’re swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake. Even experienced swimmers can become tired or get muscle cramps, which might make it difficult to get out of the water. When people swim together, they can help each other or go for help in case of an emergency.
- Never pretend that you are in trouble while swimming; from ehow.com: Fake drowning: Never pretend to be in distress. If a lifeguard comes out to rescue you, he won’t be able to monitor the rest of the beach or pool, where there could be someone who really needs help.
- Walk around the perimeter of your pool and discuss with your child the sounds coming from your pool and what the various shapes around the pool are so that the child is comfortable with the experience. So many folks have their children at the shallow end of the pool and the rest of the pool is foreign to the child. Answer questions like, “Mommy, what is that hole in the ground?” or “Daddy, why does that “thing” move around the bottom of the pool?”
- Always dive into deep water. From hcmc.org: Never dive into an aboveground pool or into the shallow end of a pool. This information, along with #6 above, is important to discuss with your child.
- Air-filled water toys. From nyc.gov: Never use air-filled toys in place of life jackets or life preservers. Toys are not personal flotation devices.
- Run vs. walk in the pool area. From houstontx.gov: Standing water is the #1 cause of slips and falls around a pool. NO RUNNING on the pool deck! Parents, you must enforce this rule. There are too many very senseless accidents caused by running on the wet deck. In today’s culture there is also the concern from slick rocks and concrete-like substances. These surfaces are slippery with or without water on them; the water dripping from a child’s swim suit makes these surfaces all that more dangerous.
- This is one of my favorites as it shows a youngster that it is OKAY to yell at Mom and Dad. Practice this scenario with your child. You are sitting on a deck chair talking with another parent when your child comes up to you and uses their arm to point to the water and employs their angry voice to say “Mom, look at my friend, she needs help”. The child must use an angry voice and must not go into the water to help a friend who might need assistance. Think about this: the whole scenario that just transpired in our mind took approximately 20 seconds. Tell me that you have not spent 20 seconds talking to your friend while both of your children played in the water. For older children who swim at local clubs and lakes, practice the same thing with a lifeguard. Again, you must stress that the child does not try to assist their friend, they go for help.
Supervision:
- Water temperature. Older children can tolerate lower water temperatures but if you have a toddler or an infant, here are some guidelines from kidshealth.org: Infants and toddlers (and their parents) are most comfortable in warm water especially when the children are in the water adjustment stage. We have observed that babies orient best to the class when the air temperature is at least 80ºF or above, with little or no breeze. However, these ideal conditions are not always possible. If the air is in the high 80’s, some babies are able to tolerate a water temperature as low as 84ºF. Some of our babies wear latex or silicone (these are great as they don’t stick to your hair) swim caps which help to maintain body heat loss through the head. Also, take care to keep your child’s shoulders under water and avoid sitting on the pool edge wet on cooler days. In all cases if you notice that your child is becoming chilled or you see their lips begin to quiver, it’s time to stop your lesson for the day.
- Adult supervision ALWAYS. From babyswimming.com: SUPERVISION by adults in and out of the house is paramount. Always know where your children are. Around water, stay close while maintaining constant eye contact and never leave a child unattended even for a second. Never assume someone else is watching your child. At social gatherings, designate an adult water watcher. If your child is missing, always check the pool first.
- Glass in the pool area. From seton.net.au: NO GLASS ALLOWED IN POOL AREA! Pool-safety signs help reduce injury risks around pools. This site has signs for purchase, if you are interested.
- Parents must supervise children around water at all times. I like the term “touch supervision”. From psu.edu: Stay close to your child around water. Use “touch supervision” — be within an arm’s length of your child at all times around water.
- Gate locks. Use a good quality gate lock and be sure that your child does NOT have access to a chair (or other climbing apparatus) to reach up and unlock the gate. One company, intheswim.com states: THE MOST RELIABLE CHILD-RESISTANT GATE LATCH IN THE WORLD! a. Magnetic gate latch designed to meet strict international safety codes! b. Swimming pool barrier codes require all gates to be self-closing and self-latching, including having the ability to close from any position without human assistance; c. Each product includes two Tru-Close Hinges; d. Release knob is located out of children’s reach; e. Safe magnetic technology reduces the risk of liability claims.
Emergency:
- Use Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) that are approved. From the clarkrubber.au web site: Safety vests or PFDs (personal floatation devices) are mandatory for anyone venturing out on to the water for most leisure and aquatic activities (please check your local regulations). Made for adults and children (including infants), safety vests/PFDs are vital to ensure your summer fun is safe. There are many organizations that carry approved PFDs: Red Cross, the “Y”, Coast Guard, etc. Blow-up toys that were discussed earlier are different from PFDs. Supervision, if using blow-up toys, must be extra vigilant.
- Laminate a list of emergency numbers along with your home address and keep that list near the phone that remains OUTSIDE with you when you swim. Always take a phone outside when swimming. The precious time that it takes to run inside to get a phone to call 911 is very valuable time that is wasted when the life of someone is at stake. Kidshealth.org states: The best time to prepare for an emergency is before it happens. Make sure your family knows emergency phone numbers – and make sure your kids know how to place a call for help. I might also suggest that your children know how to go to a neighbor’s house to relay information to that neighbor about an incident at your home.
- Lifesaving objects. According to swimmingpools101.com: Pool safety equipment is important to ensure the wellbeing of those enjoying your pool and other backyard amenities. Whether you need to protect your family members or guests, there is a wide assortment of safety equipment available that will meet the needs of any pool owner. The best protection in pool safety is to constantly monitor all those in and around a pool. In addition, here are some important and affordable pieces of safety equipment that should be present near all backyard pools. A. Safety ropes or safety lines are used to section off part of the pool to prevent people from entering into the pool’s deep end. Safety lines are essentially long pieces of rope with floatable ends to keep it above water that are hooked on to the edges of a pool. B. Ring buoys are round flotation devices that have a long rope or line attached. Ring buoys are used to retrieve someone from the water in the event of an emergency. They are available in different sizes and colors and should be approved by the Coast Guard to ensure they meet proper safety regulations. C. Reaching poles are another type of equipment that is pertinent for residential pool safety. Reaching poles should be of adequate length and put in a spot where they are easy to get to. D. First-aid kits are a must by any pool. First-aid kits should be constantly re-stocked and have all pertinent items needed for pool and other backyard emergencies. Here are some other items that might help: a. fun noodles (use as reaching assists); b. Wash out a plastic gallon milk or juice carton, fill about 1/3 of the way with water, secure with a long rope attached to the carton handle with a loop on the other end for a person to hold onto while standing on the deck, away from the edge of the water (use as a throwing assist and tow the person in the pool toward the pool’s edge).
- CPR and First Aid training. Here is some information from inpulsecpr.com: Even though most of the time spent at the pool will be fun and safe one must consider the risk of pool related injuries. Are you prepared to possible swimming pool accidents? The majority of these accidents can be avoided by the proper installation of pool materials along with proper care for the pool but it is essential to be prepared to deal with a swimming pool emergency if necessary. The best way to make sure your summer at the pool is safe is to learn CPR/ first aid; this will not only save lives but also prevent serious injury.
Skills:
- Lifesaving techniques. Practice with your child while on the deck some of the things that they can do when a problem comes up at your home – call 911, reach for a swimming aide, toss into the water one of the PFDs that are now at your pool, etc.
- When in the pool with your child, allow him to explore the water and discover ways to get back to the safety of the steps while you are there to supervise him.
- Swim lessons. According to worldslargestswimminglesson.org: Learning to swim is the foundation for staying safe in, on and around the water. Research shows if a child doesn’t learn to swim by the third grade, they likely never will. Sign your kids up for lessons today and if you don’t know how to swim, sign yourself up too! There are many organizations and facilities that offer swimming instruction.
- GYMSTERSwim lessons: please call 480.315.0351 to schedule a private swim lesson for your child this summer while in the comfort of your home in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area with Ms. Lonnie.
You just finished reading several good suggestions for a happy swim season around your family swimming pool this year. The question posed at the start of my blog is the same question that I will ask you now: “Is it SAFE around YOUR POOL?”
TUB Swimming 