Turn Safety Up a Notch
By Joanne Pollino
Backyard pools and spas offer hours of pleasurable enjoyment to homeowners, their families and friends. However, they bring a measure of responsibility that we must assume in order to keep users safe and out of harm's way. Fortunately, as aquatic activity has increased over the years, accidents have not; however, they also have not decreased — safety remains paramount.
The Push for Pool and Spa Safety
The pool and spa industry, manufacturers, national safety councils/leagues and departments of health and safety help homeowners understand the risks involved with pools by demonstrating what can be done to prevent incidents. Despite the many different techniques, products and materials available, everyone agrees on one issue: Layers of protection offer the best insurance.
The most important "layer" pool owners should provide is caretaker caution. Many water accidents occur because one parent "thinks" the other parent is watching the child, and vice versa. Always appoint a designated poolside caretaker.
Swim classes are available across the country. National groups, local community pools and private swim instructors help people of all ages learn to swim. A surprising number of adults can't swim, yet they enjoy their backyard pools in many other ways. Make sure you and your family members know how to swim. You don't have to swim laps or compete with anyone; just make sure you can swim to safety.
Teaching children to swim early in life adds another layer of protection. Benefits of swimming lessons extend far beyond reducing accident risk: An early swimmer has more confidence throughout life, and the physical benefits of working young muscles in a pool are beyond comparison.
Florida's Palm Beach County is home to some of the world's innovators in swim instruction for infants and children. Rob McKay, president of the Lifestyle Swim School in Boca Raton, Fla., and heralded as an expert with young children, offers swimming lectures across the globe. He says several key points can determine a child's acceptance of swimming.
"Make it fun," he says. "Infants and toddlers have a natural love of water and water-play. Forcing can be traumatic. Fears must be overcome before children accept water as a comfortable habitat. Parents should be in the pool with their children during lessons," he advises. "They know the child's moods better than anyone, and it provides added security, making children relaxed and willing to participate."
Rob begins by working on above-water skills, including kicking, blowing bubbles, shimmying along the gutter and getting the face wet in playful activity. He suggests lessons be short. "Learning and physical activity at these ages is tiring - 15- to 30-minute lessons is ample."
Once you know how to swim, never do it alone. A bump on the head, a mouthful of water, and other seemingly trivial events have been known to cause devastating accidents.
Carefully build your layers of protection with this advice, and with products that can help insure the safety of those you love.
Please, Fence Me In
Fencing comes in such a wide variety of designs and prices today that everyone can afford this layer of protection around their pool and spa. In many areas, it's the law. Available in choices from wire chain lock to elegant vinyl-coated designs, pool fencing can be more of a decorating pleasure than a chore. Even reasonably-priced fences come in galvanized and weatherproof finishes to offer years of elegant appearance in addition to safety.
Removable mesh fencing is also valuable, especially when children are very young and crawling or just beginning to walk. This type of fencing works well as a barrier between a pool deck or play area and the pool. Most can be removed in minutes-easily and quickly-for pool access when protection is not desired. The sections roll up for compact storage, and color-keyed caps cover the small postholes in the patio surface. Mesh fencing is difficult to see from a distance, so it won't create an eyesore in your backyard.
Mesh safety barriers come with safety latches to ensure that little hands won't open them. Look for latches that close automatically after use, providing added peace of mind.
Of course, having a gate won't do you much good unless it's locked. You may want to consider an automatic closure and safety latch or lock that can be installed into your existing fence gate.
Products today include magnetically-triggered closures that resist tugging and pulling from even the strongest child. Others offer torsion springs with locks that, once closed, require a key to open them.
For the tech-savvy homeowner, automatic gate openers and closures operate from a control unit. Viol� - simply push a button to open the pool area!
Sound the (Pool) Alarm!
Alarms can extend beyond the pool or spa as layers of protection. Homeowners with active toddlers and a house door with access to the pool area should consider having an alarm installed to sound when the back door is opened.
In-pool and in-spa alarms provide even further layers of protection. These small units turn on and off with a remote receiver. The units float on the water's surface and sound when children or animals enter the water.
Barrier fencing alarms might be another consideration. If your fence can be opened by someone over a particular height, it might be a wise investment to install a fence alarm that sounds when the gate opens.
Beam Me in the Pool, Please
Among the more innovative products are laser pool guards with alarms. This invisible fence surrounds the pool area, emitting a sound loud enough to wake anyone from a slumber if the area is disturbed. This type of fence comes with remote controllers, and the only "fence" wrapped around your pool and spa area will be a transceiver and a few reflectors and mirrors. This type of system sounds an alarm before anyone is in the water, not after. This Alarming Device Is Worn on the Wrist Some alarms attach to your child, instead of the pool. Simply lock a novelty wristband around your child's wrist; if he or she falls into the water, a loud alarm will sound at the base station inside the house. Any number of wristbands can be used with one base station, and children remain protected even while the pool is in use or being cleaned.
Keep It Covered
While winterizing is a great reason to cover your pool, safety of children and pets should take precedence. If you have an automatic cover, get into the habit of pushing that extra button for protection. It's not as easy with manual covers, but make it a habit anyway. You'll feel reassured to know, especially when you're away from home, that your pool is not presenting a hazard to others.
Covering your spa is equally important. Shallow water depth is dangerous to those who can't swim or aren't mature enough to recognize harmful situations. It is equally important that spa covers be locked securely when not in use. Spa lids are not heavy, and often even very young children can maneuver them.
Look for covers with a UL (Underwriters Laboratories) or ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) listing to ensure its strength and ability to keep children and pets out of the water.
Other Ideas for Protection
For aboveground pools, sometimes safety requires removing a device, rather than installing one. Simply take the access stairway off the aboveground pool and lock it up in the garage. One of the most innovative products for these convenient and modestly-priced pools is a stairwell that clicks off and on in a flash, and it is light enough to carry away to safe harbor. Most on today's market are made of resin, so pool owners can just toss them into the pool, where they will float until it's time for a swim.
Turn Your Spa into a Minipool
Worry no more about keeping the spa drain covered or keeping children away from its powerful suction. Durable and strong plastic covers can be installed on top of the seat sections of spas, separating drains and kids, while creating a shallow wading pool. The covers are easy to insert, remove and store. They even come with designs to give the little ones a decorated, private pool all their own.
Swim Trainers and Safety Accessories
Products such as arm floats, swim trainers and body lifejackets can help keep young swimmers from tiring in the pool. Many are inflatable and they deflate for easy storage. Even the best toddler swimmers tire easily, and young muscles aren't as strong as they will be in years to come. While these are not a substitute for professionally taught swim instructions, they can increase the amount of time your children can enjoy the water safely. Make sure you choose flotation devices approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, to offer kids appropriate protection.
Chemicals: Locked Up and Out of Reach
Pool houses and other storage structures can house your pool and spa chemicals safely and conveniently. The pool houses come in various sizes and sport attractive designs to provide an ample amount of space for storage of all those little extras. Plus, there will be no more clutter around the pool. Most units, if not all, have locks with keys that add more protection.
Rob McKay's Tips for Teaching Kids to Swim:
- Practice four or more times per week for the firsteight weeks.
- Teach children in a group format. It's fun, takes the pressure off the child and encourages classmate imitation.
- Teach in warm, preferably 90� water.
- Quality child-sized, leakproof goggles greatly benefit hesitant children.
- Bloating stomach or irritability may be an indication that the child is swallowing water. Revert to abovewater activities for the remainder of the lesson.
- To prevent injury, use hands-on spotting when children are jumping out and away from the wall.
- The slower you go, the faster the child learns. Don't force and always be patient.