Just a reminder about pool safety when little children are around.

Mere Mortal

Mere Mortal

Joined
Dec 26, 2002
Messages
222
Please do not let little children alone outside near a pool.

My neighbor, my friend just lost his two year old daughter when she drowned in his pool on Saturday. Apparently he just finished building a fence around the pool when he went inside for a minute and left her outside by herself. They think that one of his tools fell into the pool and she tried to get it.

With the heat of summer about to hit its peak please pass this reminder to anybody with kids, lets try to keep tragedies like this to the bare minimum if not stop them completely. Make sure you give your kids that extra hug and a kiss and tell them that you love them. I have all day.

Paul
AKA Mere Mortal
 
A recent article in our local paper pointed out that though many zoning laws require fences and other safety measures around in-ground or large free-standing pools, there are none whatever regarding the small, blow-up or solid pools that are a constant fixture in many backyards.

The numbers of infants that annually drown in such "safe" pools is rising each year.
Supervision by adults or responsible siblings would seem to be the watchword.
 
You cannot leave small children unattended ever, ever, ever. Ever. I am sorry for your friend's loss.
 
I'm sorry to hear that. One of my neighbors with more money than sense just put up a pool, much to the chagrin of many parents here. As terrible as it sounds, I really feel there will be a drowning there this summer. Needless to say, my boy won't be there unless I'm there. And even now, I'm already laying the groundwork to keep him from asking every day to go there. This may be one time I have to just say no to both my son and the neighbor's invitations, eventhough it will be pretty much impossible not to offend.
 
As mentioned, you have to watch kids like a hawk when they're near water. We had a similar case in Canada last week when a two year old boy and his Filipina nanny drowned in a backyard pool. Apparently the nanny died trying to rescue the boy but the autopsy results are still pending. A drowning child will often grab your head and pull you under as well.
 
An article in the paper a couple weeks ago said that the second leading cause of death for kids was drowning. (It didn't list the first.) We just put up one of those inflatable pools in our backyard and I laid the word of GOD on my 8 year old son. He swims like a fish, but he knows he's not to go near the pool unless my wife or I was outside while he's out there.
 
I was offered an above ground pool for free, but turned it down due to having two young children under 7. I have seen pool alarms that float in the water and alert you when someone or something enters the water.
I Visited a friend at an apartment complex a little while back. There was a fence around the pool, but no lock and lots of little children running about without adults watching. It didn't seem right to me.
Stay safe all!
 
I jumped the gun on the story of what happened but not the safety message. He was outside with her playing, sat down and nodded off for a few seconds, opened his eyes and saw her in the pool. Little ones move that fast. Just keep watching them.
 
Working in the swimming pool industry, I cannot stress ENOUGH that there is no substitute for watching your children (as well as other's children) around your pool. Undecked above ground pools need a ladder with removable entry steps. Decked above grounds need a locking gate that is high (at least 4'). In ground pools should be constructed with an electric cover with a key (they also need to be kept pumped off and that key NEEDS to be in a safe place away from little hands). I have yet to find a ripple alarm (the kind that is activated by motion) that works well. As a matter of fact, I have stopped carrying them for that reason. One of the best alarm systems I have found for your own children is the Safety Turtle. It's a locking wristband (so the child cannot take it off) to sets off an alarm if it gets wet. The down side is that it does not work for unannounced swimmers that come into the yard.
The best safety measures are a 6' fence with a locking gate, an automatic cover, and a watchful eye.

Jake
 
All adults should also have a swimming buddy with them. You could hit your head diving in, have real bad cramps in the deep end, anything. A family member recently had a bad episode of ice pick headaches in the pool, and she was lucky I was there to keep her head above water.

Sorry for your friends loss. Unfortunately, recently every time I've turned on the local news or opened the local paper, there is a story about a child drowning in a pool, both private and public.

Also, a fence is good to keep animals out, both domestic and wild. The animals may be able to swim, but your liner isn't claw proof ;).
 
As a comment on today's society, we in the UK recently had a tragic drowning of a child. Two points about the case that made my blood boil:

1. A man drove past the toddler wandering alone. He didn't stop "because he didn't want people to think he was a child molester."

2. A woman saw the child's legs protruding from a garden pond. She went off "to get someone else." To do what, bitch? Grab, pull!

People make me sick.

maximus otter
 
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