I just read a post about a lady here on AR who's child bumped her head on the bottom of a pool and spent her Sunday in the emergency room. Thankfully, things for this lady turned out okay. And while I in no way w
ish to infer that the lady or her child were not obeying the rules regarding pool safety, when I read that post it took me back in time to when I was a lifeguard. That's why I'm writing this post.
I worked as a lifeguard from the time I was 16 years old until I was 19 and during that time I saw several people get hurt while having too much fun at a pool. Sometimes accidents simply happen, but most times they can be avoided by following some common sense rules around a pool.
1) DON'T RUN! If I had to guess, I would guess that this has got to be the number one source of injuries at pools. Kids don't think when they're playing....for that matter, adults don't think when they are playing. If it's your pool and you enforce no other rule, this should be the one that you enforce!
2) No diving in the shallow end! Some places say no diving, but people are going to dive into the pool, that's part of the fun of it. Be sure to make sure that everyone who is going to be swimming in your pool knows how deep it is at different parts of the pool. Also, if there are more than a couple of people in the pool, then no-diving is the best course of action.
3) Don't over-crowd the pool. Depending upon the size of your pool don't allow the pool to become "crowded". The more people that are in a pool, the better the likelihood of an accident. If you're the one who is watching the pool, you should always be able to see the bottom of the pool at any given point. If there are so many people in the pool that you can't see the bottom because of the people in the way, thin them out.
4) Always have a responsible person watching the pool and have the proper safety equipment available. You don't have to have a lifesaving certificate, but if you own a pool, you should be familiar with the basics of first aid and rescue in the event that an accident does occur. Getting your life saving certificate from a local Y isn't a bad idea at all. The American Red Cross offers a course isn't that long and while challenging, it is also fun and you never know when you might have the call to use the skills that you learned. Skills that can save a life!
5) Keep a handle on the situation. Especially if there is alcohol involved. If people are getting carried away at your pool, don't be afraid to be the bad guy. One of the biggest mistakes that I ever made was not wanting to be a party pooper at a pool. I didn't put my foot down and a person came very close to drowning. I was able to pull him out before he did, but I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't be able to.
Pools are great and can be a lot of fun. But they come with a certain amount of responsibility. Please uphold your responsibilities in owning a pool and provide a safe environment for your guests and family to have fun.
Bob Mitchell
ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.
Comments(3)