1. Learn to swim.
2. Always swim with another person.
3. Always have an adult present.
4. Watch out for others around water who are younger and need attention.
5. If near a diving board, one diver on board at a time.
6. Don’t run on pool deck.  A slip and fall may result in a drowning.
7. Don’t dive head first into shallow water.
8. Never jump on someone in the water.
9. Never push someone into the pool.

LEARN THESE BASIC RULES OF WATER SAFETY

1. Constantly supervise children involved in water play.
2. Keep gates locked on pool perimeter when pool is not in use.
3. Place appropriate fencing and self-closing latches around a pool.
4. Don’t allow children to play around pool area, keep toys away from the pool.
5. Keep chairs, ladders, tables, and any other items which can be used to climb on away from pool fences.
6. Mount lifesaving floating devices near pool (can use a plastic jug tied to   floating line).
7. Post 911 stickers on phone.
8. Don’t leave children unattended to answer the phone or the front door (it takes a second for an accident).
9. Have children leave the pool area if you have to leave the area for any reason.
10. Keep doors leading from the residence to the pool area secured at all times (these locks should be placed high out of reach of the child or visiting child).
11. Learn CPR and First Aid (it can save the life of your child or the life of another child).

A Drowning Happens In Seconds

It could happen to you!  A diligent father switches his attention to the phone while his child sinks lifelessly to the bottom of the swimming pool.  A normally attentive mother is cooking in the kitchen; her youngster falls into a neighbor’s pool.  A conscientious babysitter is distracted by the needs of one of her many charges; another wanders off and drowns.

Obviously, supervision is critically important, but it’s virtually impossible to supervise small children every minute of every day. That is why parents and caretakers must provide multiple "layers" of protection-pool fencing, self-closing and self-locking gates, automatic sliding door closers, pool alarms, automatic safety covers, as well as constant supervision.

Make sure you and all your child’s caretakers can swim and know how to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in an emergency.  IMMEDIATE CPR COULD PREVENT DEATH OR MASSIVE BRAIN DAMAGE!

• Never leave a child alone near water to answer the phone, the door bell, go to the bathroom, attend to another child or attend to household chores, even for a few seconds.

• Keep a constant eye on young children playing in or near any body of water, wading pool, public pool, bath tub or lake.  At large gatherings, designate an adult to watch children at play.

• Fence your pool on all four sides with a barrier that is at least 5 feet high. Move lawn chairs, tables and other potential climbing aids away from the fence to help keep children out.
  
• Any gate or door leading to the pool area should be self-closing and self-latching, opening outward, with the latch placed on the pool side out of reach.
  
• Install panic alarms on all house doors and windows leading to the pool area, automatic sliding door closers and an automatic safety cover over the pool.
  
• Drain off water that accumulates on top of the pool cover.  A child can drown in as little as two inches of water.
  
• Swimming lessons do not insure safety.  About 25percent of all young drowning victims have had swimming lessons.  A child who falls into water unexpectedly will panic and forget his swimming skills.
  

9 MYTHS OF DROWNING

1. Is drowning really a problem?  Yes!
   
   Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death among children
   ages 1 to 4.  A residential pool is 14 times more likely to cause a death than an automobile.
   
2. Don’t more children die in open water than in pools?  No!
   
   50 percent of deaths by drowning occur in residential pools.  Natural bodies of water comprise 19 percent, and public pools another 19 percent.
   
3. Isn’t it more important to have locked gates keeping others out?  No!
   
   65 percent of the children were at their own home at the time of the incident.  46 percent of the children were last seen safe inside the house just before the drowning.   72 percent had direct access to the pool once they were outside the home.
   
4. Isn’t it just parental neglect that causes drowning?  No!
   
   According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) Drowning Study, conscientious parents who understand the need for supervision were almost always present.
   
5. Won’t swimming lessons protect a child from drowning?  No!
   
   Swimming lessons do not prepare a child for a drowning or near-drowning situation.
   
6. Isn’t constant supervision enough to prevent drowning?  No!
   
   We recommend "layers" of protection which include a well maintained fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate and alarm systems, powered safety pool covers, and self-closing, self-latching doors with automatic sliding door closes.
   
7. Is there any proof that fences or safety barriers work?
   
   Can’t a child climb over a fence?  In studies conducted in Australia and New Zealand, the findings suggest that adequate, four-sided pool fencing reduced drownings by 80percent.  Studies in Arizona demonstrated a 50 percent reduction.
   
8. Won’t fences detract from the aesthetics of pools?
   
   There are several kinds of fences to choose from which meet safety requirements and there is also the alternative of an approved safety cover.
   
9. Do pool owners without young children need to install protective barriers?  35  percent of residential drownings are not at the home of the victim.

KEEP YOUR KIDS AFLOAT!

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