Playing it Safe in the Pool Advice and Principles for Guarding Your Family’s Well-being July 2006

by Jacqueline Irwin

The first summer we lived in Brentwood felt to us like one of the hottest on record. That summer the topic of getting our own pool came up often. It sure would have been nice to step out the back door and cool off on those 100 plus days. I grew up in Los Angeles and when I was 10 we moved into a house with a pool in the backyard. Not only did I argue for a pool for my own selfish reasons, I knew our kids would enjoy having a pool for a toy.

Of course, when it came to talking my husband into getting a pool (he argued for a new boat) I left out the story of my brother jumping off the roof of the pool house just barely avoiding the concrete edge into the pool. And I neglected to tell him about the back flip off the diving board that left me with a bloody head, a slight concussion, and 12 stitches to repair.

My parents didn’t follow all the recommended rules of pool safety and it’s a wonder we survived some stunts, but we have some wonderful memories of summers spent in the pool from first thing in the morning until we drug our waterlogged bodies out under starry nights with barely enough energy to collapse into bed.

A pool is the greatest toy known to man, woman, and especially child. Our conversations became more serious when we found a home under construction on a cul-de-sac with a nice side yard perfectly suited for a pool. Luckily, our kids are teenagers and are excellent swimmers. Still, safety is of the utmost concern.

I spoke with Curt Bulloch about the important topic of swimming pool safety, which should be of primary importance for every homeowner who has one of these in their yard. He gave me a lot of the information that I used for this article. About a third of all childhood drownings occur in a family swimming pool. If you own a swimming pool it is important that you know your liabilities, but it is much more important that your swimming pool is, in fact, safe.

To find out what safeguards are legally required in your area, contact your planning department in your city or Contra Costa County. To protect your financial security you also should increase the amount of liability protection to $300,000 or even $500,000. For maximum protection, buy an umbrella policy, which provides much higher coverage. Even with the tightest security and the best intentions, accidents do happen.

And if you have young children take heed of the statistics.

• 69% of accidents occur while one or both parents were responsible for supervision.
• 65% of drownings happened in a pool owned by the child’s family.
• 77% of children had been seen 5 minutes or less before being missed and then discovered in the pool.
• 46% were last seen in the house prior to being found in the pool. Of these, 15% were thought to be sleeping.
• Of the person thought to be responsible for supervision 39% were doing chores, 18% were socializing, and 9% were busy on the telephone.

Here are some specific steps that you can take to ensure swimming pool safety:

• Children should be supervised during every minute while they are in the pool.
• Keep children away from filters and devices with suction force that may cause injury or drowning. Be especially careful of drains in a Jacuzzi pool.
• Make sure everyone in the household knows how to swim, has a basic knowledge of pool safety, and knows the pool rules.
• Never leave toys or floats in the pool when it’s not in use.
• Remain current in your CPR training.
• Create layers of protection. In other words, set up as many barriers as possible to make it difficult for a child to get to the pool. These include such things as permanent 5-feet fencing, safety covers, and locks.

Here are some things that you should keep on hand:

• Provide door alarms for all doors leading to the pool area and gate alarms for all entries into the pool area.
• Keep life saving gear such as first aid kit, reaching poles, and buoys readily available and in proper working condition.
• Keep a list of emergency medical contact information in a place where it can be easily found.
• Provide gates to the pool should open outward, self-closing, and have an auto-locking mechanism.

Supervision can and does fail. One last story that I left out when talking to my husband about getting a pool was a time when I was six. I was at our neighbor’s house across the street. It was the first swim of the summer and I remember jumping in the pool and then trying to remember the previous summer’s swim lessons. I floundered in deep water unable to toucht the bottom. From out of nowhere a hand grabbed the back of my suit. It was my dad. I still don’t know how he knew where I was or what I was doing. All I know is it scared him enough that he issued one of the only spankings I remember in my life. I think my near drowning scared him more than it scared me.

Drowning is a silent death. Drownings happen quickly. There is no cry for help. When you think pool and safety remember that it’s a matter of life and death. Let everyone know your rules. It’s your way or the highway.

Safety first!