What Layers of Protection Do You Need For Your Pool?

The Layers of Protection You Need For Your Pool?

These days, more and more homeowners are installing swimming pools. This is wonderful news. A pool is a great way for the entire family to cool off and relax. That said, we must also be aware of the dangers that come with owning a pool. When not properly monitored, any body of water can quickly become a drowning hazard.

Wait... Get Your Lesson Plans Here

Believe it or not, a pool can be more dangerous than a loaded gun. It’s true! Many people don’t realize that drowning is the leading cause of death among children aged one through four.

The sad fact is this: you’ll need multiple “layers of protection” to secure your pool area. It's only then that you’ll truly be able to enjoy it with greater ease of mind.

What Are Layers of Protection?

When it comes to water safety, a parent can never be too careful. Most people feel that general adult supervision is enough. Now obviously, supervision is often an excellent drowning deterrent. However, it isn’t a surefire way to avoid a mishap or worse. In fact, many drowning incidents occur while the child is being watched.

A study about how child drowning incidents occur, was conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It does, indicate that supervision can, and often does, fail. Distractions present themselves all the time. Sometimes it’s a loud noise in the background, a phone call, or another child that needs attention.

To truly protect kids in the water, it’s important to take multiple precautions. These layers of protection work as a sort of “fail-safe” system. Put simply, they work together to make the water as safe as possible. This way, if there is a momentary lapse of supervision for whatever reason, several backup systems will already be in place.

Properly Watching Swimming Children

As the first layer of protection, it’s not enough for an adult to simply be near the pool. Active supervision is a dedicated job that requires attention and diligence. Contrary to what many parents believe, active supervision is much more than standing by the pool while kids are swimming. It takes uninterrupted focus.

Practice touch supervision. When possible, get in the water with your children while they swim, and stay within reach of them. Eliminate distraction. When you’re supervising, make sure to avoid distractions. This means no socializing, drinking or using your phone. Devote yourself fully to supervising. Pool time is not the time to multi-task.

Infants and toddlers need extra attention. As the adult, you should be in the water. Be sure to stay within arm’s reach at all times.

For older kids, an adult should still pay close, constant attention. When you’re the dedicated active supervisor, treat it like a job!

Maintain visual contact. Drowning is often silent. It’s not enough to be in the general vicinity of a swimming child. Don’t let them out of your sight. Disaster can strike quickly.

Additional Layers of Protection

Beyond active supervision, there are other layers of protection to consider as well.

Life Saver Pool Fence

Here are a few:
Install locks to any doors that have access to your pool area. Make sure these locks are high enough to keep them out of young children’s reach.

Add alarms to your home as another layer of protection. These should be placed on access doors to the pool itself. Immersion alarms are readily available. This device can quickly and effectively warn parents if the wearer unexpectedly slips under the water.

Swimming lessons are critical for everyone. This includes children and adults. Knowledge of CPR can save a life. Becoming CPR certified so you can properly respond in an emergency situation. A Pool Fence is a Powerful Layer of Protection

Finally, a removable pool fence is a critical layer of protection for helping to reduce the risk of drowning danger.

To be truly effective, a secure pool fence should include these safety features:

• It should provide a barrier between your door and the pool area
• Have a self-closing gate that latches automatically
• The fence should be 48 inches tall with slats that are no more than 4 inches apart. This prevents little ones (and pets) from climbing over the fence and into danger.

Ultimately, no single layer of protection will ever be able to provide total security. Instead, using multiple layers of protection is the smartest way to avoid unlikely drowning hazards. If a precaution fails or an active supervisor becomes distracted, there are several “backup plans” in place. With each successive layer of protection, the chances of an accidental drowning incident are greatly reduced.

Eric Lupton President:
Life Saver
Pool Fence Systems, Inc

Author credit:

Eric Lupton is the President of Life Saver Pool Fence Systems, Inc. He is highly sought after and interviewed by the media as an expert on pool safety. Eric is a native of Boynton Beach, Fla. and loves Doctor Who, TED Talks and everything dairy.

Company: Life Saver Pool Fence Systems

Enjoy     
Richard