Keep kids safe around the pool

The summer of 2006 has certainly provided a wide range of weather.

We have had torrential downpours interspersed with hot, muggy days. Southern Maine has had severe flooding, and while we have not had the recent deadly heat of St. Louis or California, we have certainly had our share of hot weather.

In the old days youngsters and adults alike sought out the local pond, lake or stream for their favorite swimming hole to escape from the oppressive heat. Today many homeowners have above-ground or in-ground permanent swimming pools installed in the backyard.

Others have invested in inexpensive, inflatable pools that can cost as little as $50 or up to a few hundred dollars. Annual nationwide sales of these pools is estimated between 30,000 and 40,000. While these amenities can certainly increase your enjoyment of the summer months and make you very popular with the neighbors, they can also be a source of danger to children.

Every year some 250 American children under the age of 5 drown in pools, and more than 1,800 are treated for submersion injuries.

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children under 5 in California, Arizona and Florida. It is the No. 2 cause of death in more than 12 other states. For every child who drowns there are 11 other submersion injuries, including severe brain injury.

Here are a few safety tips homeowners with swimming pools should consider:

. Be sure to have adequate fencing with secure gates around all swimming pools, including inflatable ones. Fencing may be your best line of defense against accidents. Do not design your fencing so that one can go directly from the house to the pool. Many children wander directly from the house into the pool to their deaths. Design the fencing so that you must leave the house and then open the fencing gate to get to the pool.

. Keep a cordless or cell phone near the pool to quickly summon emergency personnel if necessary. Have a shepherd’s hook or related device also at the ready.

. Consider investing in safety water motion sensor equipment that alerts you that someone is in the pool.

. Take a course in first aid and CPR.

. Review pool safety rules with your children, including never swimming without a responsible adolescent or adult being present. Active supervision is very important. Many children are lost due to parents who get distracted from their responsibility. Never go into the house to answer the phone if you are supervising swimmers. Tragedy takes only a few seconds. In 69 percent of child swimming deaths, one or both parents are the on-duty “supervisor.”

. If a child in your care goes missing, search the pool first. Valuable, lifesaving minutes may be lost while you are searching elsewhere. Remember that drowning children do not cry out for help.

. Do not leave toys in the pool that might encourage a child to reach for them and fall in.

. Make sure the pool offers several easy ways to exit the water and that approved flotation devices are readily available. Remember that flotation devices are not a substitute for supervision and not all are Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices.

. Even with adequate safety fencing and safety pool covers in place, there are children who still drown in these pools.

. Early swimming safety and survival training of young children is helpful, but is no substitute for active parental supervision. Many children who perish have previously received survival training.

Summer in Maine can be a wonderful time for parents, children, and families to spend quality time safely in and around the water. Take seriously the responsibilities of keeping children in your care safe from swimming accidents. Two minutes of parental inattention can be fatal. Make great summer memories not sad and tragic ones.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. Individual membership costs $25; business rates start at $125 (10 or fewer employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.