If you’re ready to take the pool safety measures that make a difference, then the Pool Safely Official Pool Safety Pledge is a great place to start. Intended to give you a way to commit to taking actionable steps that support water safety, the pledge helps set a framework on making your pool area and pool time safer for everyone. Backyard pools are popular fun spots, but with a little effort, planning, and the determination to honor your pledge, they can be safer spots too.
The Heart Of The Pledge
The pledge is designed around making sure you are actively engaged, not only in creating a safer environment, but in making your children into safer swimmers and pool users. This two pronged approach helps reduce the risk of accidental drowning, (the number one cause of accidental death in children under 4 years of age,) while also setting a firm foundation in water safety for children to build on as they grow. In short, the five pool safety measures included in the pledge are:
- Designating a water watcher
- Making sure kids know how to swim
- Learning CPR
- Removing portable pool ladders when the pool isn’t being used
- Making sure your pool has the right kind of fencing, gates, and drain covers for increased safety.
Understanding The Reason Behind The Pledge
Each of these points is structured to contribute to the overall goal of safety in public and private pools across the country. Let’s look at why the pledge is the right choice for you:
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Places A Premium On Active, Rather Than Passive Supervision – By pledging to designate a water watcher, you are prioritizing close supervision for an adult that’s present. Too often watching the kids is an activity you do in the background of your attention or, worse, there’s an assumption that someone else is watching the kids when, in reality, no one is. Making supervision a priority is one of the most important pool safety measures there is. In addition, kids see the importance placed on safety and monitoring their aquatic activities, and learn to be more mindful not only of their own actions but the actions around them.
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Encourages The Development Of Swimming Skills – Swimming classes are available for children as young as infants, so it’s almost never too early to start swimming. Begin getting kids familiar with the water early, teaching them water survival skills, and eventually true swimming techniques. This part of the Pool Safely Pledge is all about helping your kids develop a healthy respect for aquatic activities and learning how to have fun while staying safe.
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Commits You To Your Own Personal Development – Infant, Child, And Adult CPR and First Aid are skills that all parents should have. The American Red Cross offers classes through their own facilities and partner entities coast-to-coast. Learning these vital life-saving skills is more than just a smart addition to your pool safety measures, it’s a good idea for life. These classes give you the knowledge and training to respond when emergencies happen and take decisive action to save lives.
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Promotes Safety Consciousness – Portable ladders are only one of the hazards that can end up being left in the pool area, providing dangerous access points for curious children. By pledging to remove ladders, you’re also examining the pool area for other threats. Caught early, these can be mitigated before they turn into a tragedy.
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Highlights Proper Pool Safety Features – The last point of the pledge addresses the physical structure of your pool area itself, and whether or not you have the right pool safety measures installed. Anti-entrapment drain covers are fairly standard, but if you have an older pool, it may not be in compliance. These covers are designed to prevent creating a seal that will trap a body against them. Check all your intakes and drains, making sure they won’t snag loose hair, swimsuits, jewelry, or child-sized limbs. Also consider adding an emergency pump shutoff, that way if someone does become trapped by suction it can be halted immediately.
Pool safety fences are often required by ordinance, homeowners associations, or insurance carriers, but it’s always a good idea to make sure yours are up to the task. The material should resist tearing or climbing, and poles should not allow a child to slip around, between or under the fence in a way that gives them access to the pool. To be effective pool safety measures, any point of entry needs a self-closing, self-latching gate to prevent a child who has wandered off from supervision from gaining entry.
You can make your pool even safer by adding a pool safety cover. This is another type of physical barrier that can keep kids out of water. This cover is anchored to your pool decking by rails, and can support several hundred pounds. A child falling toward the pool is caught by this material and held above the waterline. Then they can crawl to the edge or be rescued by an attending adult.
Make Safety Your Priority
Commit yourself to better pool safety measures by taking the Pool Safely Pledge. It only takes minutes, and by following through, you can do your part to help protect your kids from accidental drowning. If you’re ready to install the safety features that keep your pool safer, contact our specialists today. They’ll evaluate your pool area and give you customized options to consider when choosing what’s right for you. Create a safer pool for your family with A Safe Pool.
