Swimming Pool Safety

Brooks Schuelke

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Yesterday, I noted the increased importance of boating safety as summer approaches. However, I would be remiss if I didn't have some tips for swimming pool safety.Unfortunately, drowning accidents are thesecond leading cause of death of children under 14. The Red Cross offers these tips:

1.Maintain constant supervision no matter how skilled you believe your child to be.

2.Do not use substitutes for supervision. While life jackets, floaties or the like can help, they are no substitute for a caring parent watching out for his or her child.

3.Teach your kids water safety. Enroll them in swimminglessons and other safety courses that teach them to be safe around the water.

However, from the lawsuit perspective, themost important silent killer is the swimming pool drain accidents. Swimming pool drains often seem innocent enough and attract the attention of young children. Unfortunately, many kids are killed or injured when the force in the drain is enough to hold them under the water, drowning them, or even disemboweling the children that choose to sit on a drain. Please take a few minutes to talk about this danger with your child.