Pool Safety Tips - Courtesy of the American Red Cross
1. Make sure
everyone in your family knows how to swim. The best thing anyone can do to
stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim-this includes adults
and children. So enroll your kids (or yourself!) in swimming
lessons taught by qualified instructors.
2. Never swim alone or permit anyone else to swim alone. Even an
"expert" swimmer can have an accident that may lead to drowning.
3. Never leave a child alone-even for a few moments just to answer the
phone or get a towel. If you must leave, take the child with you.
4. Don't push or jump on others. Even the friendliest "dunking"
game is dangerous.
5. Don't dive into unknown waters. Enter the pool feet first to avoid
hitting your head on shallow bottom.
6. Learn CPR
(cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It can save someone's life.
7. Set up a "Safety
Post" with lifesaving
equipment and emergency
information.
8. Keep the pool covered and all toys away from the pool when you're not
using it. Toys can attract young children to the edge of the pool where
they could fall in.
9. Post - and follow - your own "pool rules."
10. Make sure neighbors and their children know the pool is strictly
"off-limits," unless supervised by you or another designated
adult.
The
Worst Has Happened ...
... someone has been injured - or is drowning. Do you know what
to do?
This is the worst-case scenario that you have to prepare yourself for,
because one day something could happen, and you might be the only one
there who can help.
We've prepared this emergency preparation checklist to help you make sure
you know what to do, and who to call, in case of an emergency.
Prevention
& Preparation:
Of course, the
best way to deal with an accident is to avoid it. That's why we recommend
you ...
1. Make sure everyone in the house knows
how to swim.
2. Take a water
safety course.
3. Insist everyone follow sensible pool
safety guidelines, such as never swimming alone.
4. Have your pool completely
fenced in if it isn't already.
5. Install a gate
with a secure latch and a lock.
6. Establish safety procedures, and make sure all swimmers know and follow
them.
We also recommend you set up a "safety
post" near the pool with safety
equipment and emergency
phone numbers.
Call 911:
The first thing
to do in ANY emergency situation is to make sure someone calls 911, since
getting emergency medical care to the scene as quickly as possible is your
first priority.
911 Checklist:
__ Keep a phone-or add an extension-by the pool, as well as a list of emergency
numbers.
__ Keep vital information about your family members (height, weight, age,
allergies, etc.) in a handy place.
__ Be sure you know the address you're calling from, as well as the
nearest intersection.
Care for the
Victim:
Offer whatever
assistance you can safely provide in the form of CPR
or First Aid.
Victim Care
Checklist:
Keep a first aid kit by the pool.
__ Have safety
equipment at a nearby "safety
post."
__ Make sure someone in the family knows how to provide CPR
and Basic First Aid.
Lifesaving
Equipment:
In addition to a safe
pool design, and sensible pool
safety rules, a safe backyard pool needs a "Safety Post," a
central location with lifesaving devices, emergency information, and other
safety equipment.
Here's what we recommend you keep at your "Safety Post."
First Aid Kit:
Keep a second first aid kit by the pool (you already have a first aid kit
in the house, don't you?). Make sure your poolside first aid kit includes
sunscreen (at least SPF 15, or "High").
Keep a telephone handy and a list of emergency
numbers.
Shepherd's Hook:
This is a long, lightweight pole with a metal "hook" at one end.
A victim grabs the hook and can be pulled to safety.
Buoy:
Also called a "ring buoy." This should have a lightweight,
high-visibility floating towline attached to it so you can throw it into
the pool and pull the victim to safety. (NOTE: Attach something at the end
of the tow line, even a big knot will do, to keep the line from slipping
out of your grasp as you throw).
Buoyed
Safety Line:
Use buoyed lines to show where the depth changes from shallow to deep
(this "float line" can serve as a lifeline and keep weak
swimmers in the shallow end of the pool).