|
SAFE POOLS & SAFE WATER
-
Supervision is always your primary
layer of protection, but many drowning incidents occur when parental
supervision failed and there were no other backup layers in use.
-
Layers of protection must be put in
place to come as close to a failsafe system of preventing drowning
incidents as possible.
Safe Backyard Pools
There are many layers of protection that can be put in place to protect
your family.
-
Access doors to the pool area with high
locks are a layer of protection.
-
Alarms on access doors are another layer of
protection
-
A pool safety barrier such as a fence or
wall separating the pool from your home and all access doors and
entrances is one more layer of protection.
-
Pool alarms can provide another layer of
protection.
-
Water survival training - swimming lessons
- for a child when is he capable of crawling to the pool allows for
another few precious seconds.
-
Keeping a telephone at poolside could
prove to be an invaluable aid in the event of an accident.
-
Do not leave objects in the pool that
could attract your child.
-
"Staging platforms" such as tables and
chairs, should not be kept near a pool fence.
-
Do not allow the pool area to be used as a
play area. The pool is for swimming only. Isolating the
pool area to be used for swimming is the most essential concept of
drowning prevention.
-
CPR and your knowledge of rescue
techniques are a layer of protection should there be an accident.
-
Finally, an Emergency Action Plan is a
must for anyone who has a backyard pool.
Every layer of protection possible must be in force at all times or the
system is compromised.
Click to see drowning statistics from
Australia. These are from the
Kids Alive website
. This is good stuff! (Of course, I'd put "Teach Your Kids
To Swim" first!)
Choose safe pool
toys and use them properly. Only US Coast
Guard approved flotation devices should be considered safety
items. All inflatables and other flotation items are
toys and are safe for use by skilled swimmers only.
Test swimmers before allowing use of flotation devices.
All swimmers using rafts, rings, noodles, or water wings should
be able to jump into the water, recover to a relaxed back float,
and then swim to the side of the pool unassisted. Swimmers
should also be able to pass a "Dump Test" by demonstrating that
they can recover to a relaxed back float after having fallen off
of an overturned raft or ring.
Do not use water
wings, swimmies, flotation swimming suits, rings, etc. even with
adult supervision. These devices teach a heads-up posture
in the water, arms out to the sides with the back arched and the
knees bent in a bicycling-style kicking pattern. This posture
and action is contrary to that needed for swimming. Read
our complete Flotation
Device Policy.
Do not choose dive
sticks for underwater play. Instead choose dive rings or
balls or other shapes that cannot result in impalement when landed
on. Some water guns rest on the bottom of the pool while
floating in a vertical position. These are also dangerous.
Set down definite pool rules
regulating
it's use and more importantly, when it is not in use.
Take advantage of the products
available to safeguard your pool, but remember, all the
technology in the world can't bring back the lifeless body of a
child who drown unnoticed.
Safe Water
Protecting swimmers and their families
is the reason that pool staff at public facilities regularly
check both chlorine and pH levels. Chlorine and pH are the
disinfectant team that are your first defense against germs that
can make swimmers sick. (There are other types of
disinfectants other than chlorine. Chlorine is used here
and at most local pools.)
Chlorine kills germs in pools, but it
takes time to work. It is important to make sure chlorine
levels are always at the levels recommended by the health
department...in Nebraska a minimum or 2.0 ppm is required.
Chlorine needs to be tested regularly
because all sorts of things can reduce chlorine levels in pool
water - sunlight, dirt, debris, and material from swimmer's
bodies.
The time it takes for chlorine to work
is also affected by the pH level of the water.
Germ killing power of chlorine varies
with the pH level. As the pH goes up, the ability of
chlorine to kill germs goes down. Also, a swimmer's body
has a pH between 7.2 and 7.8, so if the pool water isn't kept in
this range swimmers will start to feel irritation of their eyes
and skin.
The best way to kill germs is by
routinely measuring and adjusting both chlorine and pH levels.
Since a few germs can survive for long periods in even the best
maintained pools, it is also important that swimmers become
aware of healthy swimming behaviors (don't swim when ill with
diarrhea, don't swallow pool water, take frequent bathroom
breaks, and practice good hygiene.)
Backyard pool owners need to
constantly check the chlorine and pH levels in their pools.
When using any pool it is important to
look at the water carefully before use. You should
be able to clearly see any painted stripes and the bottom drain
in the pool. (Pool operators of outdoor pools in our area
with high usage sometimes close the deep end of the pool only
when it becomes impossible to see the bottom. We do not
recommend allowing your child to swim in any part of the pool
under these conditions.)
A well-maintained pool has little
odor. A strong chemical smell indicates a maintenance
problem.
Ask questions of the pool owner or
pool staff. Are chlorine and pH levels checked at least
twice per day.
Finally, practice healthy swimming
behaviors.
-
Refrain from swimming when you have
diarrhea.
-
Avoid swallowing pool water or even
getting it in your mouth.
-
Shower before swimming and wash your hands
after using the toilet or changing diapers.
-
Take children on bathroom breaks or check
diapers often.
-
Change diapers in a bathroom and not at
poolside and thoroughly clean the diaper changing area.
The Centers for Disease Control &
Prevention (CDC) has many informative web pages and handouts.
Two that every parent should read are listed below.
You can get much more information from
the CDC by clicking
www.healthyswimming.org.
Questions?
Click to ask Coach Neal.
Water Safety Course Home Page
BACK: Teach Your Child to Swim
NEXT:
Supervision
|
Water
Safety Education