Pool Safety

Here are a few important pool safety tips to help you ensure that you and your pool stay safe this summer.

Ensure the pool has been properly installed using correct techniques and materials and be sure all accessories meet local and national building and safety requirements including slides, diving boards, pool alarms, fences and other enclosures.

A pool should include many different barriers to ensure a child or animal cannot get into your pool. Some safety barriers include appropriate fencing, a safety cover and pool alarms.

To ensure the pool is clean and bacteria-free, check all water and chemical levels often and rectify as needed.

Children should never under any circumstances be left alone in or near spas, pools hot tubs or any place that gathers water. Water should be pumped off existing covers, as they can pose a drowning risk as well.

Chemicals should be stored in a place where children cannot access them and should be stored in appropriate places (i.e not next to one another, in certain temperatures etc.) as recommended by your local pool contractor and chemical manufacturer.

Chemicals should never be mixed.

Ensure when you are dispensing chemicals that you read and follow all appropriate instructions.

The appropriate level of sunscreen or sunblock should always be worn when outdoors and should be reapplied as often as necessary.

It is very wise to have rescue apparatus and a phone accessible when outside in the pool and it is recommended that pool owners receive proper lifesaving certification.

No one should ever run, push or play near a pool or ever hold anyone under the water or jump while others are in the pool.

No one should ever swim alone in a pool and it is very dangerous to be in a pool or hot tub while intoxicated.

Floating toys are not lifejackets or approved flotation devices and should not be used as such.

A person diving should know the proper way to dive and know the water's depth before ever diving into a pool. For a pool owner, a diving board should be installed properly, be the right size and length and should be placed in the right spot.

If there is any type of rain or inclement weather forecasted, do not swim or be near a pool.

Any type of pool cover should be entirely removed before anyone goes swimming in a pool as being trapped under a partially removed cover is dangerous.

Never have glass near a pool, if it breaks it can cause damage to a pool's liner and injure those walking with barefoot.
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE OF MY POOL?
The single most important safety feature for swimming pools is competent, vigilant supervision. Without it you’re placing the lives of your family and guests in the hands of equipment and gadgets. Most pool accidents occur when adults are not present. Maybe they were sidetracked (even for an instant) or perhaps they thought that their pool had enough safety equipment built in. Unfortunately we sometimes learn too late that there is NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SUPERVISION.

Children look for opportunities to spread their wings and “escape” the confines of parent’s watchful eye. They have little concept of danger and will attempt on their own what they’ve seen older siblings or parents do; like jumping in the pool or spa. All parents know this and most take steps to protect their kids from pool dangers. They teach them to swim, put up fences and alarms, repeatedly tell them to stay away from the pool area, and the list goes on. By a large measure, most of us are successful in protecting our kids from pool injuries. Only a small percentage of children who live in a house with a swimming pool are injured or drowned in it. And an even smaller number of children visiting houses with swimming pools are injured or drowned while visiting.

However, even 1 child drowning in a backyard swimming pool is too many. The reasons are all too familiar to us all. We’ve heard them a hundred times on the news. “I turned away for only a second to answer the phone…”, or “I thought the door was locked….”, or even “I thought she was asleep. She must have crawled out of her crib….”. The fact is that kids can get away from you if you’re not constantly vigilant where your pool is concerned.
BE AWARE AT ALL TIMES

Use safety devices such as alarms, gates and fences, covers, etc. as backup devices. At most, expect them to give you a few extra seconds of reaction time. Don’t expect them to save the life of your child. That’s your job.

WHAT IS MEANT BY "LAYERS OF PROTECTION"?

Simply put, it means to have multiple levels of safety features on your pool. For example, a fence (meeting Florida Building Code standards) completely around a pool is one layer of protection. A gate alarm (again, meeting FBC standards) would be another layer. Anti-entrapment, anti-entanglement (or at least anti-vortex) would be considered another layer. A pool cover capable of supporting the weight of adults (and meeting other important safety standards) would be another layer. Having dual main drains (built correctly and valved properly) would be yet another layer or protection.

Clearly the more layers of protection you have in place the safer your pool is. When you read most Building Codes (including Florida’s), you’ll see the phrase “layers of protection” referred to several times.

Depending on one single protective device or pool feature is not good practice. More is definitely better when pool safety devices are concerned. One note here is to make sure that the devices and features are installed correctly, that they work as they’re intended and that they are maintained properly. The best alarm in the world won’t help you if your batteries are dead.

One last note: Once again, devices help. Layers of protection should not be relied upon in place of adult supervision. In fact, adult supervision should be your Number One Layer of Protection.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ON POOL SAFETY?

You can click here for pertinent information as well as search the Internet using the keywords; "swimming pool safety". We created this site to deal exclusively with pool safety issues. Using data from a variety of sources as well as drawing on our own experiences, this site is a helpful source for pool owners who want to make their pool as safe as possible.

To those folks who are intent on keeping their pool safe, we applaud your effort. Too many people place pool safety toward the end of their "things to do" list. If we can be of assistance in your safety efforts, don't hesitate to call. Information is free for the asking.

FOR--Bermuda Dunes, Cathedral City, Coachella, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Thousand Palms,