Having a swimming pool on your property can be a great way to have fun for yourself and your entire family. Even though a pool can be fun, it can also be very dangerous if you have children around. If you can wait, you should wait until your kids are least 5 or older before you put a pool on your property. On the other hand, if you already have a swimming pool, there are ways that you can protect your children.
One thing you should always remember is to never, ever, allow your children to be alone near your pool. Children tend to be drawn near the water, and all it takes is a second for them to fall in the pool. If you and your children are at your pool and you need to leave the area for a second, you should always take your children with you.
To be on the safe side, you should always make sure that you have plenty of safety equipment around your pool at all times. Safety items are great to have around, as they can save the life of a child or anyone else who can't swim. You should also invest in a shepherd's hook as well, as you can use it to pull someone out of the water. Having a phone at your pool is also a wise investment, as you can easily call for help in the event of an emergency.
If you don't have a fence around your pool you should look into getting one. A fence is a great way to protect your pool from children. If you have a protective fence up, you won't have to worry about little kids falling in while you are away from the pool. When you put your fence, you should always make sure that it's at least 6 foot high, with a locking gate. This way, no one can get into the pool without the key - which you should keep with you at all times.
You can also learn CPR as well. Even though you may not ever have to use it, it's always great to know in the event of someone falling in your pool that is unable to swim. Whenever you have children or people you know can't swim at your pool, you should always stay within reach of them, so you can react instantly if they fall in. A second is all it takes to save someone's life.
Always keep in mind that swimming is fun, although you should always think in terms of safety first. Once you have finished using your pool for day, make sure that you secure the area well - and lock the gate up tight so no one can get in.
In many countries, including the UK, the responsibility for safety and security of your pool is yours alone, so you need to know how you can be prepared, and prevent any accidents. And whilst there are not the legal regulations in the UK forcing pool owners to take precautions, it's clear that you should make sure your pool is safe, not only for your family, but also for friends and guests, particularly if your house is rented out.
However, in France this situation is very different, by law you must provide an effective safety barrier for your pool, or face a hefty fine. The options for doing this range from installing a pool alarm, through to fencing your pool off, and also by installing a lockable swimming pool enclosure. And whilst the enclosure is the most expensive option, it does also provide many other valuable benefits.
The facts about pool safety
There's very little in the way of recently published data on swimming pool safety. However here's a quick snapshot of some of the key findings from a piece of research carried out in the USA.
Every year in the US, more than three hundred children under five years old, drown in residential swimming pools, usually owned by their family. And, in addition to this, more than two thousand children in that same age group are treated for submersion injures.
Another peice of research provided the following statistics; Seventy five percent of submersion victims were between one and three years old. And of the group, sixty five percent were boys. Also within the group it was identified that toddlers, in particular, were a high risk group, as they can often do something unexpected as their abilities change daily.
A rather surprising addition to this was that sixty five percent of the children were not even expected to be at or in the swimming pool, and yet they were still found there.
Of all the accidents, sixty five percent happened in a swimming pool which was owned by the child's family, and thirty five percent happened in a pool owned by friends or relatives.
The thing about pool submersions involving children, is that they happen quickly. It's possible that a child can drown in the time it takes to make a quick phone call. Indeed seventy five percent of accident victims had been out of sight for a mere five minutes or less.
Swimming pool enclosures and alarms
Secure your pool
Your swimming pool should always be secure, whenever it is not in use. At a minimum level you should install a pool alarm. These simple devices work in a number of ways, but probably the most common is the pressure sensor type. A good one of these will probably cost you around two hundred pounds ? they are easy to install on your pool edge, and subsequently require little maintenance, and probably a battery change once a year. This can be even less frequent if you go for a solar powered one.
As an alternative, and particularly smaller children and those just starting to walk, you should consider the personal wristband type alarm. These, simple wireless devices, easily attach securely round the wrist of your child (or pet's collar). Then if the wristband is submerged in water, a 100Db alarm immediately goes off at the base station. The base station for these alarms work off a rechargeable battery, and therefore they are totally portable, and consequently great for taking on holiday, or to friends houses, or on a river boat, canal boat or by a lake.
The next level of safety you could consider is a barrier of some sort. There are three possible options for this. A fixed pool cover or winter cover, a fenced pool surround, or finally a swimming pool enclosure.
Of the three options above, the swimming pool enclosure is probably the most expensive. However if you consider all the other benefits a pool enclosure has, then it seems the enclosure would come out on top. It will help heat the water in your pool, keep out debris, reduce chemical usage and evaporation, and if you heat your pool, it means you can use your swimming pool all year round. And keep it safe and secure.
Both Michael Gavre & Jonathan Howkins are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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