Pools are great fun, terrific for cooling down on a hot day and for getting aerobic exercise. But they are also a responsibility. As residential pools have proliferated, so, unfortunately, has the opportunity for tragedy. While in recent years there has been a decline in drownings among teenage boys, most of whom succumb in natural bodies of water, there has been no comparable drop in drowning deaths among young children, most of whom succumb in pools-usually the family’s pool.
In 1986, a study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission showed that 630 people drowned in backyard swimming pools, and 330 of them were under the age of 5. Three-fourths of the children under 5 were from 1 to 3 years old. A further 20,000 children that year were treated in hospitals after having nearly drowned.
A child’s risk of drowning is much greater than most people realize. In a survey of American grade-school children conducted in the mid-1970s, 15 percent said they had had a near miss in the water at least once during the previous year.
Children under the age of 5 are 14 times as likely to die in a pool as in a motor vehicle. Of those who survive near-drownings, many suffer permanent brain damage. Yet, while the vast majority of parents take care to secure their young children in car seats, far fewer take comparable precautions around pools.
The commission’s study revealed telling circumstances surrounding the pool-related deaths of young children. Two-thirds occurred in the family pool and one-third in pools owned by friends or relatives.
Nearly half the children were last seen in the house and nearly a quarter were last seen in the yard or on the porch or patio; no one knew the youngsters had gone near the pool. Only about one-third of the children were in or around the pool just before drowning. Finally, more than three-fourths of the children had been seen five minutes or less before being missed and subsequently found in the pool.
The lessons to be learned from these statistics include the facts that drowning accidents happen quickly.
There are no cries for help to alert caretakers that a small child is in trouble in the water. The only effective protection is to ensure that children cannot get near a pool without being accompanied by a responsible and trained caretaker.
While many communities have safety regulations governing residential pools, it is the pool owner’s responsibility to follow them. Regardless of local laws, to minimize the risk of pool accidents, every owner should adopt these minimal safety standards:
– Fence it in. A fence or comparable barrier completely surrounding the pool is the best preventive, reducing the risk of pool drownings by about 70 percent, an Australian study showed. It is just as important to fence in an above-ground pool as an in-ground pool, since a child can easily climb the ladder and fall into the water.
The minimum fence height recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission is 4 feet.
The slats should be vertical and spaced 4 inches or less apart, and the fence should have no footholds or handholds.
– Cover it. Pool covers can be installed over most in-ground pools. Be sure to remove the protective cover (and any solar pool cover used to heat the water) completely when the pool is in use and remove water that may collect when the pool is covered.
– Remain vigilant. Children in or near pools must be watched constantly by a responsible and well-informed caretaker. A moment’s lapse can spell disaster. Never assume that a child who has taken swimming lessons or is using a flotation device can safely be left unattended. For added security when the caretaker is not nearby in the water, children who are not good swimmers could wear properly fitted Coast Guard-approved flotation vests, which keep their heads above water.
– Prepare for emergencies. In addition to the standard ladders or steps to help people climb out of pools, there should be a circular buoy on a rope, a long-handled hook and a rescue ladder at the poolside. Anyone in charge of children playing in or near water should be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and be prepared to use it the moment a child is pulled from the water.
– Observe other safety measures. Keep toys like tricycles and balls away from pools. Do not permit horseplay in the water. Mark the pool’s deep end and, preferably, use a floating pool rope to denote where the water would be above the children’s chins. Never permit diving at the shallow end or from the sides of the pool or into an above-ground pool.
