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According to government statistics, drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children under the age of 5 in Arizona. Nationally, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental deaths to children under 5 years of age. Between 1990 and 1998 there were 5,803 children 5 years of age or under that were drowning victims in the United States.
Parents should not be fooled into thinking that their child is safe just because he/she knows how to swim. In a lot of these cases accidents happened even though the child knew swimming. Accidents in the swimming pool can happen very suddenly without warning. It is very important that all parents follow these basic safety precautions especially if there is a swimming pool at home.
Studies done by the CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION have shown that almost 70% of swimming pool accidents occurred when BOTH PARENTS WERE HOME AND WATCHING THE CHILD! 10% were responsible adults other than parents and 20% of accidents in swimming pools occurred when a sitter or a sibling was watching the children. Of all the accidents that occur around a pool with small children, 77% of those children had been seen within the previous five minutes!
Pool Safety Tips:
Never allow your youngster to swim alone without any adult supervision. It is quite common to develop a cramp underwater, or for accidents like hitting your head while diving for example, to occur. It is paramount that there should be persons around to help in such situations.
Do not allow children with no knowledge of swimming in or around the pool. For good pool safety make sure that all kids above the age of 4 attend a certified swimming class, or at least learn basic flotation techniques and life saving techniques in case of accidents. Children younger than 4 should always be accompanied by their parents in the pool.
Enclose your pool with high fences, which can be locked. Do not leave the pool open and accessible since children can fall inside. Keep your pool safe, and keep your kids away from the poolside.
Avoid leaving your kids alone even with small portable pools or water bodies like buckets, fountains, and barrels. There is always a danger of drowning occurring even in small bodies of water.
In case of a backyard swimming pool, make sure that the cover of the pool is completely lifted over the pool. Do not partially open the pool. Also make sure that your child does not walk over the pool cover.
Spas and Hot Tubs must also be avoided, especially in the case of younger children who are susceptible to overheating.
For good pool safety, you can make sure that there is always a life saving floation device handy near the pool. Also, every parent should be conversant in basic CPR techniques in case of any accident.
The last, but not the least, to ensure swimming pool safety, be observant. Watch what your kids are up to , and supervise their activities. Do not leave them alone.
Why take chances with your child’s safety? Eliminate the risk of owning a pool with an Ironman Pool Fence. You can learn more about our efforts by going to SaveRkids.org.
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