Have you installed a swimming pool safety fence or are you going to employ full time lifeguards to supervise your children in the pool this summer? Think of how many kids converge on your home when the weather heats up and how easy it is to court danger and consider the level of peace of mind you want for yourself and your family. A swimming pool safety fence is the only answer.
What could possibly go wrong?
Without a swimming pool safety fence, you leave yourself wide open for a list of realities that you could face. Drowning is the second highest cause of accidental injury-related deaths in children aged fourteen or younger. In the few seconds it takes to turn hamburgers on the barbecue or dash inside for more cold drinks, a child can die. You may or may not hear a splash, but even if you do, it could possibly be too late.
All water activities should be placed behind your swimming pool safety fence. Spas, Jacuzzis, wading pools and buckets are best kept out of harm’s way.
Homeowners’ liability insurance protects you from the legal ramifications of an accident, but a swimming pool safety fence will protect everyone who is invited to your home from becoming a victim of drowning.
Is a fence enough?
Perhaps; perhaps not. It depends on the layout of your yard, the accessibility of the yard from inside the house, whether there are rocks, tables or chairs that can be climbed on to facilitate entry over the fence, and any number of other elements. A swimming pool safety fence should be at least five feet high, and should not be climbable. No opening should be more than four inches wide, so that children cannot squeeze through. Audible alarms can be installed so that you will hear if someone is entering through the gate. The closures on self-closing and self-latching gates and doors around the pool must be situated beyond a child’s reach and all gates should open outward. You can even install pool safety covers for added protection. Having a phone connected near the pool is another way of ensuring help is never far away. You might also like to erect a sign displaying CPR techniques, and point it out to all who use the pool.
When all’s said and done, a swimming pool safety fence is the best physical protection you can provide against child drowning, but adequate supervision is also a must. As a swimming pool owner, it is your responsibility to provide a safe, healthy environment for your own family and for people who come into contact with the pool. Be vigilant for everyone’s sake.