It’s autumn and all across America pool owners are closing down their pools for the winter months. Even here in Atlanta, GA, the heartland of the south, It’s That Time. I know two families who lost a child by drowning in a swimming pool and I can tell you it’s a tragedy that never ends. Obviously, it’s critically important that every child have swimming lessons at an early age. But even if your kids are part fish, it’s important to properly close down this attractive-to-kids potential menace by using the following tips and hints on how to secure your pool. These precautions will give you the peace of mind you need and just might save the life of a child.
1. Use Pool Fencing
There is a special type of fence that surrounds the entire pool and the deck’s perimeter. This fence can greatly reduce the risk of drowning, and despite the fact that is does not guarantee safety 100%, it still keeps the child away from the pool.
Pool fencing is particularly useful for families with small children who are unaware of the dangers of playing around the pool while no grownups are around. In addition to giving you peace of mind, fencing can also add value to your pool by improving its appearance at the same time.
2. Make Your Kids Understand The Danger
Children are extremely curious – they are always willing to explore and discover new things and new locations, and clear waters of the pool attract them like a magnet. However, you would be amazed to see how many things your child can understand nowadays, and talking safety with your kids is an aspect of great importance.
The more they understand the potential dangers of the pool, the less likely they will get anywhere near it unless supervised. Also, make sure to let your children know about the consequences they will face if catch them near the pool, if you agreed that that area is off limits. It is not the time to be soft, especially when it comes to safety and lives of your children.
3. Install An Alarm
Nowadays, you can easily find a variety of sophisticated pool alarms on the market. These small devices are cost-effective and highly accurate. They can be installed in the ground, placed on top of the water or right under the surface. The alarms start whenever something falls into the pool, and they are certainly a great addition to the pool fence mentioned above.
4. Cover The Pool
Covering the pool when not in use is important not only for health reasons, but also for preventing you child from drowning if he accidentally slips and falls into it. You can use safety nets over the pool so no one can fall into the water, and add manual or automatic pool covers over the net to protect the pool from snow, rain and other elements. Regardless of your choice, they add extra protection both to your property and your kids.
5. Teach Your Child How To Swim
All the safety measures detailed above are aimed at keeping the child away from the pool, but what happens if he accidentally falls into it and you are inside the house? You lose precious seconds until you reach your child. This is why all your children must know how to swim. Investing in swimming lessons is certainly a wise choice and if you have been postponing these lessons, then perhaps you should rethink your priorities.
Another thing that you can do is take first aid and CPR lessons yourself. You never know when you might need them.
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