Do you have a pool and children? Many Inland Empire residents would love a pool, especially on a day like today when the sun is shining and the kids are out of school. Next week is Pool Safety Week, and we take safety very seriously at PDR Inland Empire.
Here’s why: An annual average of 390 pool or spa-related drownings for children younger than 15 occurred between 2007 and 2009, and 75 percent of child drowning fatalities are children younger than five years old. African American and Hispanic children between the ages of 5 and 14 drown at higher rates than white children. Why? According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), who conducted the survey, found that 70 percent of African American children and 62 percent of Hispanic children cannot swim.
Approximately 58 percent of the fatalities happened in a in-ground pool, and of course, that’s almost all we have out here in Southern California. Shocking statistics, right? But these fatalities and injuries are very easy to avoid, especially if you follow these simple tips from PoolSafely.gov:
- Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your child when he or she is in or near water
- Teach children basic water safety tips
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments
- Have a telephone close by when you or your family is using a pool or spa
- If a child is missing, look for him or her in the pool or spa first
- Share safety instructions with family, friends and neighbors
- Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim
- Learn to perform CPR on children and adults, and update those skills regularly
- Understand the basics of life-saving so that you can assist in a pool emergency
- Install a four-foot or taller fence around the pool and spa and use self-closing and self-latching gates; ask your neighbors to do the same at their pools.
- Install and use a lockable safety cover on your spa.
- If your house serves as a fourth side of a fence around a pool, install door alarms and always use them. For additional protection, install window guards on windows facing pools or spas.
- Install pool and gate alarms to alert you when children go near the water
- Ensure any pool and spa you use has compliant drain covers, and ask your pool service provider if you do not know
- Maintain pool and spa covers in good working order
- Consider using a surface wave or underwater alarm
If you don’t have a pool, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Knowing life-saving techniques can help when you’re at a neighbor or relative’s home with a pool, or at a local public pool or at the beach.
Are you looking for more safety tips for your home? Please check out our blogs about kitchen safety, barbeque safety, how to prevent water damage and reducing fire hazards. And if any of these don’t work and you’re left with fire or water damage, please keep our number in your phone so you can call us immediately. Speedy response is the best cure for either! And we want to help you get your life back as soon as possible: (877) 732-8471