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Please Read:
Pool Safety Tips
by
Donna Kirdahy, Cornell
Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County
This is the month. June. Every June,
and throughout the summer, Long Islanders are saddened
to learn about babies, toddlers and preschoolers who drown
in our backyard pools. These are tragedies that CAN be
averted.
Nationally, death by drowning is the
number two cause of death for children under five. More
than 375 children under the age of 5 drown in pools each
year nationwide; 75 percent of victims are between 12
and 35 months old. To determine how child-drowning incidents
occur, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted
a study. Some of the findings are:
· 69 percent of drownings occurred
while one or both parents were ‘supervising.’
· 65 percent of children drowned
in a family pool.
· 77 percent of children had been
seen within five minutes of being missed.
· 69 percent were thought to be
in the house, yard, porch or patio, not in the pool area.
15 percent of those children were thought to be sleeping.
· 39 percent of supervisors were
involved in doing chores at the time the children drowned.
· 18 percent were socializing.
· 9 percent were talking on a
telephone.
While we read about drownings, we don’t
usually hear about the other 2,600 children who nearly
drown each year, many of whom result in permanent brain
damage.
The Safety Commission recommends five
“layers of protection” for drowning prevention.
This would mean all five layers would have to fail before
a child would drown.
1. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for vigilant
supervision. Never leave a child alone or out of adult
eye contact, even for a moment. Children should never
be allowed to swim alone. It takes seconds for small lungs
to fill with water.
2. Isolate the pool with fencing, including
a gate with a lock that is high or on the poolside, so
a young child would not be able to reach it. (Fence height
requirements vary according to township.)
3. Many townships now require alarms
at house doors that open to a pool. Also, use a pool alarm
that sounds when something disturbs the water surface.
4. Teach your baby water survival as
soon as she is old enough to crawl or walk to the pool
area. Remember to practice these skills throughout the
season and review and build on them in subsequent summers.
5. Take a CPR course and be familiar
with rescue techniques.
If your child is missing, despite taking
all the above measures, CHECK THE POOL FIRST and immediately.
Every second counts.
And remember, an inflatable pool or kiddy
pool is a temptation that should be emptied and put away
after each use. Pool and spa covers should be completely
removed and stored before using the water. It’s easy
for a child, or pet, to get trapped underneath a cover
and drown.
Although this article has focused on
pool safety, parents should understand babies and toddlers
can drown in mere inches of water. Their heads are proportionately
larger and heavier than their bodies and a toddler who
has fallen headfirst into a bucket, wading pool, puddle
or even the toilet, can quickly drown. And the proliferation
of backyard ponds and spas on Long Island are potentially
just as hazardous as pools.
Read the statistics again. Don’t
think it can never happen to you. It can. Put all five
layers of protection into effect if you own a pool. Make
sure all the adults in your household use them all the
time.
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