 Have life-saving equipment and a first aid kit nearby and know how to use them.  Know CPR. Baby sitters, including grandparents and friends, should also know CPR.


 Know the capability of the swimmer and keep floating devices on children who aren’t strong swimmers. Sign up for swimming classes with a reputable organization. If you don’t know where to start to find the right place, check local boys and girls clubs, WMCA’s, community centers, community hospitals and local schools for information.


 If you have children attending child care centers that frequent swimming pools, make sure you know how the safety of your child will be addressed. Are the supervisors trained in water safety, are they CPR certified and how will they manage a group of children adequately while engaged in water sports. Ask the question, “What is the ratio of supervisor to child?".


 Have and maintain rules about where to swim, where to enter in and come out and how far a swimmer can go.  Have a buddy system in place to watch out for each other and call for help, when necessary.


 Diving and jumping injuries occur frequently so establish safety rules about where diving and jumping are appropriate and where they are not.


 Running around pools is extremely dangerous, not only because of the potential of falling into the water but also, because of the potential for head impact or other bodily injury from the fall increasing the potential of drowning.


 Pool drains should have appropriate safety covers.


 Review prevention and established precautions with others watching your children, whenever you have guests at your pool and especially, whenever swimming in areas you are unfamiliar – everyone should be on the same page.


 If you swim at the beach or at lakes, select places where life guards are present, understand the flag systems and heed and warnings given by lifeguards and weather alerts.


 It’s never a good idea to swim on a full stomach or right after you eat. Drowning does not always happen in a pool or in the ocean. Drowning can happen in very small amounts


of water, such as a bucket, toilet or bathtub and in bodies of water such as ponds, lakes and reserves, etc. There- fore, this is not an all- inclusive list but, it is a good start! You can check sites such as “Safe Kids”, “Center for Disease Control”, “Drowning Prevention Foundation”, and “National Drowning Prevention Alliance”, etc. for more information. There are plenty of websites to get information on drowning prevention. Together, we can make for a better swimming season when we all work together to keep our community safe. Please feel free to comment or add to this discussion. If we can help you with your health and safety needs, please visit us at www.safety-pulse.com or call 386-986-8527. We are passionate about safety! Thank you.


Happy swimming!


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