I've been working with pools for a long time, sometimes for more years than my customers have been alive. To help organize some of the things that have always held true, I built this area of my website. I realize it will help my competitors, that doesn't bother me. I only care that it helps you. Enjoy.

Resources

Swimming Safety Tips

 

Swimming should be fun and making the right decisions about pool safety helps keep it that way. Being around pools most of my life has given me a great appreciation for pool safety and promoting the swim smart lifestyle.

Swimming Smart

Learning how to swim is an important and very gratifying part of life, much like riding a bike or learning to drive. In each an every case, it's important to a.) learn how, but also b.) respect the rules. Warning signs are designed to keep us safe, please teach those wanting to swim to understand what each warning around your pool means.

NO Diving

It's a common warning sign seen at public pools all over the country. Unfortunately, it's also one warning that is often ignored. Pool depth can be deceiving and will often look deeper than it really is. Serious injury including paralysis and even death can be the result of ignoring these simple signs. Teaching swimmers of all ages the risks involved will help put an end to serious head and neck injuries caused by diving in shallow water.

Be Prepared

If you own a pool or are planning on getting one, it is important to be prepared for a lot of fun but also in case of emergency. CPR is a lifesaving technique I recommend everyone learn, especially those regularly around a pool. CPR classes are held all over, probably closer to your home than you realize. Get trained, be prepared, you just might save a life.

Real Statistics

  • In 2007, there were 3,443 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) in the United States, averaging ten deaths per day.[1]
  • More than one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.[1]
  • Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2007, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, almost 30% died from drowning.[1]
  • Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.[2]
  • Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4 years.[3]
  • Seconds count. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to improve outcomes in drowning victims. The more quickly intervention occurs, the better change of improved outcomes.[4]
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. [cited 2011 Apr 6]. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars
  2. Borse NN, Gilchrist J, Dellinger AM, Rudd RA, Ballesteros MF, Sleet DA. CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0-19 Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2008.
  3. Brenner RA, Taneja GS, Haynie DL, Trumble AC, Qian C, Klinger RM, Klevanoff MA. Association between swimming lessons and drowning in childhood: A case-control study. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 2009;163(3):203-10.
  4. Kyriacou DN, Arcinue EL, Peek C, Kraus JF. Effect of Immediate Resuscitation on Children with Submersion Injury. Pediatrics, 1994; 94 (2): 137-142.

Pool Safety Links

 
Resource
Link
Pool Safely
American Heart Assoc. (CPR and ECC)