Its Memorial Day weekend.  Traditionally it is the start of the swimming season.  We at AnotherPerfectPool want you to thoroughly enjoy your swimming pool – and be SAFE!

Did you know:

• That drowning is one of the major causes of accidents resulting in serious injury and death in children.
• Each year, about 260 children under 5 drown in swimming pools
• In 2004, there were 3,308 unintentional drownings in the United States, an average of nine people per day. (CDC 2006) (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• In 2004, of all children 1-4 years old who died, 26% died from drowning (CDC 2006). Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years (CDC 2005) (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under. (Orange County California Fire Authority)

Don’t be fooled into thinking that your child is safe just because he/she knows how to swim. In a lot of these cases accidents happened even though the child knew swimming. Accidents in the swimming pool can happen very suddenly without warning.

We at APP want to help you protect your children from drowning.  

Make Sure Your Kids are SAFE in your Pool

PLEASE follow these simple pool safety tips:

1. Never allow your youngster to swim alone without any adult supervision. It is quite common to develop a cramp underwater, or for accidents like hitting your head while diving for example, to occur. It is paramount that there should be persons around to help in such situations.
2.  Do not allow children with no knowledge of swimming in or around the pool. For good pool safety make sure that all kids above the age of 4 attend a certified swimming class, or at least learn basic flotation techniques and life saving techniques in case of accidents. Children younger than 4 should always be accompanied by their parents in the pool.
3.  If you have a safety fence around your pool, make sure it locks. Do not leave the pool open and accessible since children can fall inside. Keep your pool safe, and keep your kids away from the poolside.
   

   Make Sure Your Kids are SAFE at the Lake and at the Beach!

4.  Avoid leaving your kids alone even with small portable pools or water bodies like buckets, fountains, and barrels. There is always a danger of drowning occuring even in small bodies of water.
5.  If you use a solar cover, make sure it is completely lifted out of the pool and stored away – away from the pool. Do not leave your pool partially coverd. Also, make sure that your child does not walk over the pool cover.
6.  For good pool safety, you can make sure that there is always a life saving floation device handy near the pool. Also, every parent should be conversant in basic CPR techniques in case of any accident.
7.  And last, but certainly not the least, to ensure swimming pool safety, be observant. Use the ‘Water Watcher’  program.

Watch Indpendent Pool and Spa Association’s video to learn more about the ‘Water Watcher’ program.

Have a Great and SAFE weekend – and a super swimming SUMMER!