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Water Safety Tips

·         Never leave an infant or small child unattended in the bathroom, even for a few moments.

·         Never leave a child alone at the poolside

·         Teach children water and swimming skills as early as possible

·         Take special precautions if you own a pool:

·         Use layers of barrier protection between the child and water to warn and impede. Pool and spa owners can take practical steps to make their pool and spa less dangerous by installing "layers of protection."  These include:

·         Safeguard your pool with a four sided fence at least 5 feet high around the pool.  It should be non-climbable and have no spaces a child could sneak through

·         Self-closing and self-latching gates and doors leading to the pool/spa with latches above a child's reach. These Gates should open outward so the child would have to pull the door open to reach the pool.

·         Alarm every house door which leads to the pool to alert you if a child has gone outside.

·         Install a motor-driven safety pool cover to securely cover the water area

·         Keep enticing objects that might attract a child out of the pool area

·         Drain standing water off spa and pool covers:  children can drown in as little as 2 inches of water!

·         Install a phone poolside with emergency numbers posted and programmed into speed dial.  Also post CPR instructions poolside.

Learn CPR! (Hotlink to American Red Cross)
In the event of a drowning--

1.       Remove the victim from the water, have someone call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number.

2.       Check consciousness and breathing.

3.       If the victim is not breathing, open the airway and attempt rescue breathing.

4.       If breaths do not go in, re-tilt the head and attempt rescue breathing again.

5.       If air still does not go in, give abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) for children and adults to clear the airway.

6.       Once the airway is clear, provide rescue breathing or CPR as needed.  

The Consumer Product Safety Commission offers the following safety  tips when using a hot tub, spa, or whirlpool:                     

·         Always use a locked safety cover when the spa is not in use and keep young children away from spas or hot tubs unless there is constant adult supervision.

·         Make sure the spa has the dual drains and drain covers required by current safety standards.

·         Regularly have a professional check your spa or hot tub and make sure it is in good, safe working condition, and that drain covers are in place and not cracked or missing.  Check the drain covers yourself throughout the year.

·         Know where the cut-off switch for your pump is so you can turn it off in an emergency.

·         Be aware that consuming alcohol while using a spa could lead to drowning.

·         Keep the temperature of the water in the spa at 104 degrees Fahrenheit or below.