With the hot summer days right around the corner, the swimming pool will be a destination for families to have some fun, relax and enjoy the outdoors. While lasting happy memories are made at the pool, some pain stricken memories are sadly often made pool side! Pool safety is very important; a very scary stat is that about 200 children (under the age of 5) accidentally drown during the summer months. Swimming pool education and awareness are the best ways to prevent a fun situation from quickly turning into a bad one.
Seeandsave.org offers some great basic water safety tips to follow:
✦ Never leave children alone with water whether it is in a pool, drainage ditch, creek, pond or lake.
✦ Stay with children swimming or playing in water. They need an adult or certified lifeguard to keep a constant watch and be within reach.
✦ Use approved life jackets.
✦ Safeguard swimming pools. Use fences. Install self-closing and latching gates, and water surface alarms.
✦ Be prepared for emergencies. Have a first-aid kit, emergency telephone numbers and learn CPR.
I truly did not know the importance of pool safety, until Pedro Velasquez, who has become a water safety advocate since the accidental drowning of his 2 year old nephew, spoke to me about campaigning to bring awareness to swimming pool safety. For more information about water safety tips, or for a presentation of pool safety and current laws regarding residential pools, contact Pedro Velasquez at 210-284-6566 or at phv16sa@yahoo.com.
