POOL RULES
Residential Pool Safety Information
There cannot be any compromise on pool safety.
Some of your best memories are times spent poolside. Keeping the time spent at the pool fun and safe is a pool owner’s top priority. Unfortunately, one of the leading causes of accidental deaths and injuries in children happens in or at a pool. Implementing safety precautions and products at your pool is your best line of defense. Knowing what these layers of protection are and their benefits give you the tools to make informed decisions.
Teaching your child how to swim does not mean your child is safe in the water. If you have a pool, protect your children by supervising them at all times and being prepared in case of an emergency — and by following these pool safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
- Make sure adults are trained in life-saving techniques and CPR so they can rescue a child if necessary.
- Surround your pool on all four sides with a sturdy five-foot fence.
- Make sure the gates self-close and self-latch at a height children can’t reach.
- Keep rescue equipment (a shepherd’s hook — a long pole with a hook on the end — and life preserver) and a portable telephone near the pool.
- Avoid inflatable swimming aids such as “floaties.” They are not a substitute for approved life vests and can give children a false sense of security.
- Children are not developmentally ready for swim lessons until after their fourth birthday. Swim programs for children under four should not be seen as a way to decrease the risk of drowning.
- Whenever infants or toddlers are in or around water, an adult should be within arm’s length, providing “touch supervision.”
