Jump The Water Fine! Fun in The Sun But Safety First In the Pool

There is  nothing more fun or relaxing than jumping in your pool after a hard day of work or playing in the sun.  Home pools are a great place for family fun, swimming, relaxing and gathering with friends. I can’t think of anything more soothing that floating on my back in my own backyard oasis.  Or anything more timeless and endearing that watching my children scream with delight as they splash around in their own personal backyard ocean. But before the fun begins there are some important safety precautions that every pool owner needs to take to make sure that their family is safe when playing in their backyard oasis.  Although water is relaxing, refreshing and a source of good times it can also be very dangerous if you don’t take the right steps to create a safe pool environment.

How To Safeguard Your Pool

Did you know that every day ten people die from drowning in the United States?  More scary than that is that one in every ten drowning deaths is a child under the age of 14.  Drowning is most scary because it is silent and can easily go unnoticed if no one is vigilantly watching the pool and especially if a child wanders into the pool with no adult around.  There are several precautions that you can take to safeguard your pool and your family when no one is there to supervise.  

• Pool Alarms- these are devices that are submerged in the pool and sound off if there is movement in the pool.  This can signal when a child falls into the pool to alert you.
• Pool Covers- keeping a solid cover on the pool can prevent a child from falling into the pool when unattended.
• Pool Fences- it is a good idea to install a gated fence around the perimeter of your pool so that no one can enter the pool area unattended
• Pool Door Alarms- setting an alarm on the door to the pool can be an excellent way to know if someone is trying to enter the gate to the pool area, especially an unattended child
  • Life Preserver- whether the pool is in use or not you should keep at least one life preserver near the pool      at all times so that if anyone has trouble swimming or falls into the pool you can save them

Pool Safety Rules and Tips

There are also many rules you can instill with your family to keep them safe around the pool.  It is important that children and adults follow certain rules when using the pool no only to prevent the possibility of drowning, but also to safeguard against other injuries that can be incurred because of wet surfaces.  Some rules and tips to follow when you are using your pool are:

• Do not run around the pool- many accidents and injuries happen because children or adults are running near the pool and slip on the wet surfaces
• Always be supervised- there should always be an adult or an older (teen or above) skilled swimmer present when younger children are swimming.  Even as adults it is safer not to swim alone
• Learn how to swim- of course children and adults who know how to swim will be safer in the pool or any body of water
• Learn CPR- if you have a pool at your home someone should know how to conduct CPR in case of emergencies.  It is really best if all adults and those supervising the pool know CPR. 
• Set  pool rules-  There should be established rules in your family about how to behave in and around the pool, when and with whom your children can go into the pool, etc.

Pools are a lot of fun and a great place to cool off and spend time with your family and friends.  Make sure to take these simple steps to insure that your fun times do not turn into needless tragedies.  Have fun in the sun without a single worry, after all it’s hot out there!