Pool Safety Saves Lives

While you're soaking up the sun in your backyard oasis, you can easily forget about safety. Having a safety system in place will give you the security you need to sit back and relax. If you are a new pool owner, you will want to know the safety requirements and other ways you can keep your pool safe for guests and unexpected visitors near your property. Even if you are a seasoned pool owner, there may be areas where you could improve or update safety to protect family, friends, and pets.

Thousands of people in the U.S. are injured in swim-related accidents every year. Creating a safe pool can save lives!

Barriers

Fences for in-ground pools are typically required and can be in the form of chain links, unclimbable wooden picket, ornamental, or a portable fence.

Natural barriers can cut off your swimming area for unexpected guests if your landscape allows it. This could be a water edge on a lake or typography such as mountains and rock formations (if permitted by local codes).

“A four-sided isolation fence that separates the pool area from the house and yard reduces a child’s risk of drowning by 83% compared to three-sided property-line fencing (which encloses the entire yard but does not separate the pool from the house).”2

Gate Latches should be on every gate to prevent children from entering the swimming area. Gates should also swing out and away from the pool so a child pushing on the gate will close if it happens to be open. Gates can also be self-closing and self-latching, so the area will be safe even if you forget to fully close it.

Pool Covers add an extra layer of safety in your pool’s offseason can be found in manual or automated versions. Just make sure to keep the remote away from kids!

Alarms

Alarms can be placed on doors, screens, windows, and gates around your pool area to alert you of unwanted access to the pool area. This is especially important if your barrier does not separate the pool from the house.

In-water detectors are infrared detectors placed in your pool that can sense changes motion. When an area around your pool is entered unexpectedly, an alarm will sound.

Child Alarms: an alarm clipped onto the child to alert when in water or beyond a certain distance

“According to Healthychildren.org, 69% of all drownings among children age four and younger happen during non-swim times.”

Vacuum Release: for pools and spas with a single drain, it is required to have a safety vacuum release (SVRS), engineered vent system, gravity drainage, or other safety feature that complies with current standards.

Check with your property insurance provider for additional recommendations which may help reduce your rates. For more in-depth information about these pool safety methods, you can visit PoolSafety.Gov, American Red Cross, and sources for pool codes for your location.