Summer and swimming go together like daydreams and dandelions. But the most important aspect of enjoying all types of inground pools is safety, especially when children are around.
The pros at Brothers Grimm take pool safety very seriously. We’ve been committed to helping families get the best possible experience from their outdoor living areas for nearly 30 years. Our investment in the Northeast Ohio community goes beyond our services of installing top-quality swimming pools, designing unique landscapes and maintaining beautiful lawns.
To help you and your family enjoy warm weather activities to the fullest, we’ve put together our best advice for the pool safety devices, systems and supplies that help keep everyone safe. We’ve also outlined some basic pool safety tips for summer relaxation that’s free of stress and worry.
Read on to see what you can do to make your home swimming pool as safe as possible while making the most of Ohio’s sunniest season.
Importance of Pool Safety
Understanding pool safety is as important as knowing how to maintain your inground pool. Why? The American Red Cross reports that drowning causes more deaths among children under age 4 than any other cause except birth defects — and drowning is the leading cause of death for children of all ages on the autism spectrum.
Those statistics are stark and sobering — but they highlight the importance of taking a serious moment of preparation before diving into summertime fun. A little bit of time devoted to learning how to swim, installing a pool safety fence or other pool safety system, and making sure your pool safety supplies are in order will go a long way toward ensuring the good times won’t be interrupted by an avoidable tragedy.
Ways to Increase Pool Safety: Devices, Systems and Strategies
Let’s dip our toes into some real-world strategies for making pool safety your home’s guiding principle. With just a little planning and foresight, your family can enjoy season after season of safe sunshine and splashing in your Brothers Grimm pool!
Make Sure Everyone Knows How to Swim
Even if you don’t plan to swim laps for exercise, basic water competency is a must for enjoying a pool safely. That means learning rudimentary skills like being able to doggy paddle and get yourself out of the pool — but it also involves knowing what to do when an emergency happens. Most local Red Cross or YMCA locations offer free or affordable swimming lessons for kids, as well as water safety courses for all ages. Once everyone in your family knows how to swim, how to use pool safety equipment like life vests or a pool safety hook, and when and how to call 911 for help, you’ll all be able to relax and enjoy your pool to the fullest.
Mark Shallow vs Deep Water
It can be frightening to suddenly realize you cannot reach the floor of the pool. Even scarier is the idea of diving head first into water that looks deep — and banging your head against that floor with great force. These incidents underscore the need to clearly mark areas of shallow versus deep water as a first order of pool safety. They also illustrate how a “no-diving” policy is one of the smartest and simplest pool safety systems you can implement for your family.
Talk with your pool contractor about embedding specialty tiles or signage that indicates differing depths into your swimming pool design. Also consider adding pool amenities for your home that make it safer for young children, like a shallow-depth tanning ledge that’s separated from deeper water by a low wall.
Add a Pool Safety Fence With Alarms
Fences aren’t only about creating backyard privacy — they can also make your pool a safer place for everyone in your family and neighborhood. But to be a true barrier against accidents, a pool safety fence must meet certain criteria. As the first line of your home pool safety system, your fence should:
- Be at least 4 feet tall
- Surround the pool on all four sides
- Not be climbable by children
- Include a pool safety lock and pool safety sensor to alert you when it’s opened
Using fencing as a pool safety device doesn’t have to mean leaving your backyard in a state of barren ugliness. In fact, the Brothers Grimm are experts at designing creative landscaping to enhance your outdoor area and disguise unsightly but necessary components, like fences, pumps, heaters and other machinery.
Always Supervise Children in the Pool
Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. That’s why it is vitally important that a sober, non-distracted adult always supervises children when they’re in or near your pool. This adult must know how to swim and what to do in case of emergency — and they must constantly pay attention to the young ones in their care, which means not reading a book, scrolling on their phone or visiting with other adults. If you’re having a big party or family gathering, consider taking turns being the designated supervisor for an hour or so. That way, pool safety remains a priority, but each person gets time off to relax and enjoy the festivities.
Learn Water First Aid
Would you know what to do if a child were pulled from your pool unconscious and not breathing? Does your teenager know what pool-related circumstances warrant calling 911? Is there a pool safety equipment list posted near your pool with guidelines for regular maintenance? Are all your family members familiar with your pool safety systems — and does everyone understand how to use all your pool safety supplies?
A few training sessions at a Red Cross or YMCA can ensure that you and all members of your family know the basics of water first aid and can calmly and efficiently handle a water emergency. This small investment of time and effort goes a long way toward giving you peace of mind for many safe, fun summers in your backyard pool!
Maintain Pool Safety Equipment
You probably don’t think twice about hiring someone to take care of your lawn and landscaping maintenance. But when was the last time you checked the buoyancy of your life vests or rescue rings? How about the drain grates and covers that can help prevent suction accidents? Maintaining your pool safety products and systems is just as important as replacing batteries in your home’s smoke alarms. Consider creating a pool safety equipment list that you and your family can check through at the beginning of each season then keep handy for periodic updates. It’s simple and easy to do, but it just might make all the difference when the unexpected happens.
Commit to Sober Swimming
Relaxing by the pool with a tropical beverage in hand may be the dream — but alcohol does not pair well with pool safety. The best way to keep your kids and yourself safe in and around the pool is to stay sober while swimming, splashing and soaking. Drinking dulls your senses and delays reaction times, making you slower to detect and respond to urgent situations. Plus, playing in the sun and water is already tiring, and consuming alcohol only intensifies that fatigue, raising your risks of injuring yourself or others in or around the pool. Safety is a sober endeavor, so save those drinks for after you’ve toweled off for the day.
The Brothers Grimm Commitment to Pool Safety
A Brothers Grimm pool can transform your outdoor living space into a luxurious getaway. Our full-service support for your dream of a private swimming pool includes our commitment to pool safety for everyone. We hope you’ll take advantage of our pool safety tips for summer recreation that’s memorable for all the best reasons! Contact us today to dive into your personalized swimming pool or landscaping design adventure.
