With summer upon us, many families are looking forward to lazy days spent having fun in their backyard pools.
For many parents and grandparents, however, a backyard pool does not symbolize fun, but rather danger. According to a recent study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 85% of accidental drownings of children under 14 years of age in the US occur in a residential or backyard pool. These are sobering statistics for parents, and especially for parents who own a swimming pool.
Short of locking your children indoors for the summer, what can you do to make your child safer around the pool this summer? Here are some pool safety tips you should consider:
Do Not Underestimate Small Children
Children can be very clever. Small children have drowned after sneaking out of their homes through pet doors, windows and doors that parents were not aware the child knew how to unlock. If you own a pool, small children should never be left unsupervised. If your child does sneak out of your home and there is not a pool safety barrier installed around your pool, your child can be at very great risk.
Do Not Trust an Average Fence
An average backyard fence is not designed to keep a child out of a pool. Many fences have footholds that a child could use to hoist themselves over. A Protect-A-Child pool safety fence uses a tight basket weave mesh to provide you with a barrier that prevents climbing.
Educate Your Children
Frequently discussing pool safety with your child can help his or her awareness of dangerous situations. Swimming lessons can also greatly decrease, though not eliminate, the risk of drowning. You can find affordable swim lessons in your area at your local YMCA.
Be Aware of Other Children
Many drownings are a result of a child sneaking into a neighbor’s pool. This puts a responsibility on all pool owners—not just those with children—to make sure they have secured their pools with pool fences, such as a Protect-A-Child pool fence.
Pools are great summer fun when pool owners make wise safety decisions. If you are concerned about making your pool a safe place for summer fun, please give us a call at 772-398-3400, or visit our Pool Fence Dealer page to find your local dealer.
