Tips for keeping kids safe around pools from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment.
You must put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence at least 4 feet high surrounding your entire pool. This fence will completely separate the pool from the house and play area of the yard. Use gates that are self-closing and self-latching, with latches higher than your childrens’ reach.
A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) adds to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool. ACCORDING TO THE United States Consumer Product Safety Commission THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF THAT POOL COVERS PREVENT CHILDREN FROM DROWNING .
Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd’s hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool.
Do not let your child use air-filled “swimming aids” as they are not a substitute for approved life vests and may be dangerous.
Anyone watching young children around a pool should learn CPR and be able to rescue a child, if needed. Stay within an arm’s length of your child.
All toys should be removed from the pool after use. Toys, in the pool, are a temptation to children. After the children are done swimming, lock the pool gate so they can’t get back in to the pool area.
Remember, teaching your child how to swim does not mean your child is safe in water.
Use common sense — and pool fencing — to protect kids
With kids in the home and a swimming pool in the backyard, supervision is the No. 1 way to keep your children safe from injury or drowning. But supervision, by itself, is not nearly enough to ensure pool safety.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, of all the swimming pool accidents involving small children, 77% of the victims had been seen by a parent/guardian within the past five minutes. Almost 80% of swimming pool accidents occurred when both parents were at home and watching the child!
Experts at the National Spa & Pool Institute, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that pool safety barriers are always necessary. The fence should be a minimum of 4 feet high with a self-closing, self-latching pool gate. All Guardian pool safety fence systems meet these standards.
Apply for a free pool fence
SRP is partnering with United Phoenix Fire Union Charities to help keep families safe and prevent drownings. The Pool Fence Program provides a pool fence to families with young children who meet program qualifications.
The Pool Fence Program was established in 2001, after more than 50 children drowned in the Valley that summer. Since inception, more than 800 pool fences have been installed.
Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in Arizona among children 1-4 years of age, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Each year, an average of 19 children lose their lives due to drowning in Maricopa County.
Families are encouraged to apply for a pool fence, provided they meet the following requirements:
- A child 6 years or younger must be living in the home.
- The home must be owner-occupied (no renters).
- Families must be income-qualified.
- Families must live in Maricopa County.
- Special circumstances will be considered.
https://phxffcharities.org/sites/firefighters/files/English%20app.pdf
Or read more here: https://www.srpnet.com/safety/home/poolfence.aspx