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Water
Safety + Water Safety Tips
Safety
Tips |
Being Safe is Being Smart |
Links and Resources |
Water
Safety (PDF) |
Pool
Safety Flyer (PDF) | Pool
Safety Flyer - Spanish (PDF) | Pool
Safety Flyer - (PDF) | Home
Water Safety (PDF)
Summer
Water Safety Flyer (PDF) | Inflatable
Pool Safety (PDF)|
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| Back
when my kids were growing up, the thing
to do was to get them into
swim lessons as soon as possible to
ensure they knew how to swim no matter
where you were! My kids had lessons
for a few summers just to make sure!
After all, I was going to do my part
for water safety. Safety first, right?
Unfortunately, many parents think that
water safety ends with the last lesson. |
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Not
so! Just because your children know
how to swim, does not mean swim
time is worry free! Your children,
now matter how old or how good they
become at swimming, are not drown proof!
Anything can happen.
Which age group
do you think is at a higher
risk for drowning? [Five and
under]; [7-9];
[11-13]; or [15-24]?
Statistically, children under five
and adolescents between the ages of
15 and 24 have the highest drowning
rates.
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drowning is the fourth leading cause
of death to children
under five. In such states, such as
California, Florida and Arizona, drowning
is the leading cause of accidental
death to children under five. According
to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, an estimated 260 children
under five years of age drown each
year in residential swimming pools
and spas. A child can drown
in less than two minutes. Two minutes. That’s
about how long it takes to answer that
ringing phone in your house as you
leave the poolside. Or maybe you are
trying to multi-task watching the kids
in the pool and make dinner. It takes
two minutes to go back into the house
and check on dinner, or separate and
start a load of laundry. While we are
in the house, we look around thinking
maybe we will just finish picking up
this and that around the house, write
our to-do-list for the next day, and
the next thing you know 20 minutes
have gone by. Those little things could
mean the difference between life and
death. |
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Then there are the Near-Drownings
If they don't drown, victims still
can suffer serious injuries. The Commission
estimates that another 3,000 children
under age five are treated in hospital
emergency rooms following submersion
accidents each year result in permanent
brain damage. An estimated
5,000 children ages 14 and under are
hospitalized
due to near-drownings each year. As
many as 20 percent suffer severe, permanent
neurological disability
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| The
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and
About.com offer the following Water Safety
Tips: Keep in mind that many of these tips
apply to other water sources such as rivers,
lakes beaches and water parks. |
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Photo
- Bark Avenue Pet Shop
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1
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Never
allow your youngster to swim alone
without any adult supervision. It
is quite common to develop a cramp
underwater, or for accidents like
hitting your head while diving
for example, to occur. It is of
the utmost importance that an adult
be present at all times! |
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2
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Do
not allow children or teens with
no knowledge of swimming in or
around the pool. For good
pool safety, make sure that all
kids above the age of four attend
a certified swimming class, or
at least learn basic flotation
techniques and life saving techniques
in case of accidents. Children
younger than four should always
be accompanied by their parents
in the pool. |
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3
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Enclose
your pool with high fences, which
can be locked. Do not
leave the pool open and accessible
since children can fall inside.
Keep your pool safe, and keep your
kids away from the poolside. Remember,
effective barriers and locks are
necessary preventive measures,
but there is no substitute for
supervision. |
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4
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Avoid
leaving your kids alone even with
small portable pools or water bodies like
buckets, fountains, and barrels.
There is always a danger of drowning
occurring even in small bodies
of water. |
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5
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In
case of a backyard swimming pool, make
sure that the cover of the pool is
completely lifted over the pool. Do
not partially open the pool. Also,
make sure that your child does not
walk over the pool cover. |
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6
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Spas
and Hot Tubs must also be avoided,
especially in the case of younger
children who are susceptible to
overheating. |
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7
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For
good pool safety, you can make
sure that there is always a life
saving floatation device handy near
the pool. In addition, every parent
should be conversant in basic CPR
techniques in case of any accident.
Do not use flotation devices as a
substitute for supervision. |
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8
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Do
not consider young children “drown
proof” just because
they have had swimming lessons,
young children should always be
watched carefully while swimming. |
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9
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Place
tables and chairs well away from
the pool fence to prevent
children from climbing into the
pool area. |
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10
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Keep
toys away from the pool area because
a young child playing with the
toys could accidentally fall in
the water. |
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11
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Remove
steps to the above ground pools
when not in use. |
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12
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Have
a telephone at poolside to
avoid having to leave children
unattended in or near the pool
to answer a telephone elsewhere.
Keep emergency numbers at the poolside
telephone. |
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13
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Learn
CPR. |
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14
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Keep
rescue equipment by the pool. |
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15
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The
last, but not the least, to ensure
swimming pool safety, be observant.
Watch what your kids are up to, and supervise
their activities. Do not leave them
alone. |
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Being
Safe Is Being Smart! |
Obey
all signs around water!
Now that you have been refreshed on the basic
rules, before you spend any time out in the
sun,
make sure you apply the sunscreen! I
wouldn’t
want you to burn.
(That sounds like another
Preparedness Fact for the future!)
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Photo
by Camp Crosby |
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Kings
River photo by David Husted |
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| Links
and Other Resouces: |
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Credits |
About.com
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Drowning Prevention Foundation of California
American Red Cross
Water Safe Kids
Platinum Protect
Backyard City Pools
Kings River photo by David Husted
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Flyers
and Information
(Printable PDFs)
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Photo
by Jessika Savage
Anthony Savage
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