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SAFETY TIPS
Safety Tips
(With or without a Lifeguard present)
When involved in water sports and if you have a pool it is your responsibility to implement and enforce safety measures. Have fun and enjoy life and at the same time, be fully aware that in a moment in time, someone’s life could be gone forever and your life would be changed forever.
Top Ten Safety Tips
1. Pools should be fenced from the rest of the house. Fences should be five feet high and of good quality. The area adjacent to the outside of the fence must be free of objects which may aid children in climbing over the fence. These include items such as chairs, tables, tree branches, etc.
2. All doors and windows leading to the pool should always be secured and locked at all times.
3. Look in the pool area first if a child is missing.
4. When you think pool, think hardcore! Even if this is not your personality, you MUST be an absolute dictator. Let your children know without any doubts, that is your way or none at all.
5. Don’t think your pool is your only potential hazard. Use the same precautions and safety mind set in and around bathtubs, Jacuzzis, small pools or anywhere there is a “pool” of water, including any beach, even if there are lifeguards. Keep in mind that Children have been known to drown in only a few inches deep water.
6. At Home, You're the Lifeguard: Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in many states for children age one and two. A major reason for this is home pools, which can be death traps for toddlers. Many of these deaths occur in the few moments it takes a parent to answer a telephone or doorbell. NEVER leave a child alone anywhere near a pool, not even for a second. Make sure an adult is always present and has their specific and complete focus on the pool.
7. Make sure it is completely fenced, that the fence is locked, and that there is no access from the home to the pool. Don't let your child or a neighbor's child get into the pool when you're not there.
8. All adults (young and old), baby-sitters should learn and practice CPR and first aid.
9. Remember pool covers, gates and other layers of protection do not replace adult supervision.
10. Rent the professional services of a Lifeguard and have peace of mind.
Additional Safety Tips
11. Gates should be self-closing and self-latching, opening outward away from pool. A gate latch should be placed at the top of the gate and be inaccessible from the outside by small children.
12. Additional "layers of protection" to pools include safety covers, alarms on doors and motion-detection devices.
13. Babysitters and guardians should always be instructed about potential hazards in and around the pool.
14. Never rely on flotation devices or swimming lessons to protect a child. Twenty-five percent of all drowning victims have had swimming lessons.
15. Mount flotation devices designed for lifesaving near the pool. Many float-type toys are thought to be lifesavers but they are not! They are only toys and should be used only as toys.
16. Own an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). An AED is a piece of equipment that does the same thing you used to see on TV shows when someone is about ready to die, they slap these plates on their chest and say “Clear!” and revive the person with a shock. Years ago it was impossible to afford this type of life-saving equipment, let alone being educated enough to use it. Today, AEDs are available for about $1,000, come in a case the size or a large book and are easy to use.
17. Never keep toys around or in a pool.
18. Keep a telephone outside the pool area. Post the 9-1-1 emergency number on the telephone.
19. If you have to call 911 describe to them the most direct access point from the public street to your emergency. Know this in advance and be prepared to meet them on the street when they show up or have someone meet them and guide them straight to the emergency. Use a flashlight if it is dark. Every second counts!
20. Have flashlights available at night if the power goes out. The first thing you should do is clear the pool and block it off.
21. Have an exact and specific head count of everyone at your party. Especially children.
22. Even if there is a Lifeguard at your next event, adults should not entirely relieve themselves from the concern for safety. Have fun and at the same time, be aware.
23. To put things bluntly, if you went to the expense of having a swimming pool and using it then it is your responsibility to insure the safety of anyone who comes near it. If you can’t be responsible to secure it, like having fencing around it, having qualified supervision and learning and applying safety measures, you can’t afford to have a pool. If that is the case, save yourself a heartache that you may regret the rest of your life and fill the pool up with dirt and grow grass over it.
24. Remember, just because nobody is at your home does not mean a child cannot drown in your pool. It is possible that a neighbors child may wander off into your back yard. That is why when nobody is using the pool it must ALWAYS have a secure fence around it.
25. The rental of Lifeguard services should not be restricted to events that only have children. Adult parties around water, especially if there is alcohol, should also have qualified supervision.
26. Swim near a Lifeguard: Some statistics over a ten year period show that the chance of drowning at a beach without lifeguard protection is almost five times as great as drowning at a beach with lifeguards.
27. Learn To Swim: Learning to swim is the best defense against drowning. Teach children to swim at an early age. Children who are not taught when they are very young tend to avoid swim instruction as they age, probably due to embarrassment. Swimming instruction is a crucial step to protecting children from injury or death.
28. Never Swim Alone: Many drownings involve single swimmers. When you swim with a buddy, if one of you has a problem, the other may be able to help, including signaling for assistance from others. At least have someone onshore watching you.
29. Don't Fight the Current: Statistics have found that some 80% of rescues by lifeguards at ocean beaches are caused by rip currents. These currents are formed by surf and gravity, because once surf pushes water up the slope of the beach, gravity pulls it back. This can create concentrated rivers of water moving offshore. Some people mistakenly call this an undertow, but there is no undercurrent, just an offshore current. If you are caught in a rip current, don't fight it by trying to swim directly to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore until you feel the current relax, then swim to shore. Most rip currents are narrow and a short swim parallel to shore will bring you to safety.
30. Swim Sober: Alcohol is a major factor in drowning. Alcohol can reduce body temperature and impair swimming ability. Perhaps more importantly, both alcohol and drugs impair good judgment, which may cause people to take risks they would not otherwise take.
31. Leash Your Board: Surfboards and bodyboards should be used only with a leash. Leashes are usually attached to the board and the ankle or wrist. They are available in most shops where surfboards and bodyboards are sold or rented. With a leash, the user will not become separated from the floatation device. One additional consideration is a breakaway leash. A few drownings have been attributed to leashes becoming entangled in underwater obstructions. A breakaway leash avoids this problem.
32. Don't Float Where You Can't Swim: Non-swimmers often use floatation devices, like inflatable rafts, to go offshore. If they fall off, they can quickly drown. No one should use a floatation device unless they are able to swim. Use of a leash is not enough because a non-swimmer may panic and be unable to swim back to the floatation device, even with a leash. The only exception is a person wearing a Coast Guard approved life jacket.
33. Life Jackets: Boating Safety: Some 80% of fatalities associated with boating accidents are from drowning. Most involve people who never expected to end up in the water, but fell overboard or ended up in the water when the boat sank. Children are particularly susceptible to this problem and in many states, children are required to be in lifejackets whenever they are aboard boats.
34. Don't Dive Headfirst, Protect Your Neck: Serious, lifelong injuries, including paraplegia, occur every year due to diving headfirst into unknown water and striking the bottom. Bodysurfing can result in a serious neck injury when the swimmer's neck strikes the bottom. Check for depth and obstructions before diving, then go in feet first the first time; and use caution while bodysurfing, always extending a hand ahead of you.
35. If you are supervising or you have a Lifeguard that needs to go to the bathroom or take a break, everyone must be ordered out of the water and an adult(s) must enforce that no one enters the water until the supervisor or Lifeguard returns.
36. Print out and study our Safety Tips before your event. Go over this with other adults at the party.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):
1. Drowning is the second leading cause of death in children between the ages 1 and 9 and the third leading cause of death in children between 10 and 17.
2. Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death among children 14 and younger, with more than 1,000 deaths a year. That's 10 times the annual number of accidental shooting deaths for children 14 and under. (The leading cause of accidental deaths among this age group is motor vehicle crashes.) More than half of drownings occur in a pool at the child's own home, and one-third occur at homes of friends.
3. About 350 children younger than 5 drown in pools each year nationwide - with more than half of these incidents occurring in the summer.
4. Also, 2,600 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for near-drowning incidents.
5. A study conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to find out how child drowning incidents occur indicates that supervision can and does fail. The investigation by the Commission was directed at children under age five in California, Arizona and Florida who had drown in home swimming pools. The results might help you to better understand why drowning is still the number one killer for three states and stands at number two for the nation. The suddenness of this type of accident and the results it yields is devastating to anyone it touches. When you think pool, think hardcore! Even if this is not your personality, you must be an absolute dictator. Let your children know without any doubts, that is your way or none at all.
6. Who was in charge of supervision at the time of drowning?
a. 69 percent of the accidents occurred while one or both parents were responsible for supervision.
b. 10 percent were adults other than the parents.
c. 14 percent were sitters. 7 percent siblings.
7. What was the location of the pool drowning?
a. 65 percent were in a pool owned by the child's family.
b. 22 percent at a relatives.
c. 11 percent happened at a neighbor's.
8. Drowning happens quickly and without warning.
a. There is no cry for help.
b. 77 percent of the children had been seen 5 minutes or less before being missed and subsequently discovered in the pool.
9. Where were they last seen?
a. 46 percent WERE LAST SEEN IN THE HOUSE prior to being found in the pool.
b. Of these, 15 percent were thought to be sleeping.
c. 23 percent were last seen in the yard, porch or patio, not in the pool area.
d. That's a total of 69 percent that were thought not to be in the pool area.
e. 31 percent were last seen in the pool or pool area.
10. What activity was the person responsible for supervision involved in at the time of drowning?
a. 39 percent were doing chores.
b. 18 percent socializing.
c. 9 percent were busy on the telephone.
11. Other Drowning Facts
• A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under.
• Each year, approximately 1,150 children ages 14 and under drown; more than half are preschoolers (ages 0-4).
• Each year, an estimated 5,000 children ages 14 and under are hospitalized due to near-drownings.
• Of children surviving near-drownings, 5-20 percent suffer severe and permanent disability.
• Water fun and alcohol is a dangerous summertime mixture. Drinking is a major contributing factor in as many as 50 percent of drownings among teens and adults, according to the National Center for Injury.
• Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five in California, Arizona and Florida with a ranking of number two for over a dozen other states.
• For every drowning there are eleven near drowning incidents, according to government statistics; many of which result in totally disabling brain damage.
12. Where Drownings Happen
• Approximately 50 percent of preschooler drownings occur in residential swimming pools.
• Each year, more than 2,000 preschooler near-drownings occur in residential pools.
• Of preschooler pool drownings, 65 percent occur in the child's home pool and 33 percent at the homes of friends, neighbors or relatives.
• Each year, 350 drownings (for all ages) happen in bathtubs.
• Each year, approximately 40 children drown in five-gallon buckets.
• In ten states -- Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington -- drowning surpasses all other causes of death to children ages 14 and under.
13. Economic Impact
• Health care costs per near-drowning victim typically range from $75,000 for initial emergency room treatment to $180,000 a year for long-term care.
• The annual economic costs of residential pool drownings and near-drownings of young children are estimated to be $450 million to $650 million.
14. Safety References About Water Safety, Homeland Security & More
Below are links to other sites, which are provided for educational purposes and a convenience to you. We are not responsible for the content of any sites or any products or services that may be offered through other sites. Rent-A-Lifeguard does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Furthermore, the inclusion of hyperlinks to web sites other than Rent-A-Lifeguard websites is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise. Once you link to another web site, you are subject to the disclaimers, security, and privacy policies of the new site. If you notice any broken links that need fixing or want to suggest adding a link please Contact Us.
Water Safety
American Lifeguard Association
American Red Cross
Jeff Ellis & Associates
National Recreations And Park Association
National Safety Council
United States Lifeguard Association
YMCA
Federal Government Organizations
American Civil Defense Association
American Red Cross
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Central Intelligence Agency
Department Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of Transportation
Dept of Justice, Office for Domestic Preparedness
Environmental Protection Agency
FBI Terrorism Public Outreach
Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Health and Human Services
National Academies Homeland Security Links
National Domestic Preparedness Office
National Infrastructure Protection Center
National Library of Medicine: Biological Warfare
National Library of Medicine: Chemical Warfare
National Weather Service
Office of Emergency Preparation
Office of Homeland Security, White House
The Committee on National Security/21st Century
House Select Committee on Homeland Security
Transportation Security Administration
United State Civil Air Patrol - Homeland Security
Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office
Customs Service
United States Coast Guard
United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Fire Administration
US Consumer Product Safety Commission
US Department of State
US Department of State (Travel Warnings)
US Geologic Survey
State Government Organizations
Alabama Emergency Management Agency
Alaska Division of Emergency Services
Arizona Division of Emergency Management
Arkansas Dept. of Emergency Management
California Office of Emergency Services
Colorado Office of Emergency Management
Connecticut Office of Emergency Management
Delaware Emergency Management Agency
Dist. of Columbia Emergency Management
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Georgia Emergency Management Agency
Hawaii State Civil Defense
Idaho Bureau of Disaster Services
Illinois Emergency Management Agency
Indiana Emergency Management Agency
Iowa Emergency Management Division
Kansas Division of Emergency Management
Kentucky Division of Emergency Management
Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness
Maine Emergency Management Agency
Maryland Emergency Management Agency
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
Michigan Emergency Management Division
Minnesota Division of Emergency Management
Mississippi Emergency Management District
Missouri State Emergency Management Agency
Montana Disaster and Emergency Services
Nebraska Emergency Management
Nevada Division of Emergency Management
New Hampshire Office of Emergency Management
New Jersey Emergency Management Section
New Mexico Department of Public Safety
New York State Emergency Management
North Carolina Emergency Management
North Dakota Division of Emergency Management
Ohio Emergency Management Agency
Oklahoma Emergency Management
Oregon Emergency Management
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency
South Dakota Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs
South Carolina Emergency Preparedness
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
Texas Division of Emergency Management
Utah Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management
Vermont Emergency Management
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Washington State Emergency Management
West Virginia Office of Emergency Services
Wisconsin Emergency Management
Wyoming Emergency Management Agency
Points of Interest (Be in the Know)
Al Jazeera
Arab World News
Arabic News
BBC News
CIA World Fact Book
CNN News
Emergency.com (Counter Terrorism)
Federation of American Scientists
Foreign Report
Global Security
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy (Self-Defense)
How Stuff Works
Humane Society (Pets/Animals)
Janes
Jerusalem Post
Kitco (Precious Metals)
Most Wanted People
MSNBC News
Rand Corporation (Think Tank)
Razorpoint Security (Computer & Network Security)
Ready.gov
Shocknife (Edged-weapon training tools for law enforcement & military)
Terrorism.com
US Department of Defense
World Health Organization
Military, Law Enforcement & First Responders
Air Force Times
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Army Times
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Bureau of Justice Statistics
California Intelligence and Terrorism Alert Network
Central Intelligence Agency
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Defense Link
Department of Homeland Security
Drug Enforcement Administration
FBI National Academy Associates
Infragard: Guarding the Nation's Infrastructure
International Association of Chiefs of Police
Internet Crime Complaint Center
INTERPOL
Marine Corps Times
MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Database
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Counterterrorism Center
National Executive Institute Associates, Major Cities Chief's Association & Major County Sheriff's Association
National Institute of Justice
National Intelligence Strategy
National Sheriff's Association
National Virtual Translation Center
Navy Times
Office of Justice Programs
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Officer.Com
Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory, National Program Office
Society of Former Special Agents
Texas Coastal Region Advisory System
US Air Force
US Army
US Border Patrol
US Coast Guard
US Department of Justice
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US Navy
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