Our first hot pool weekend of the summer in the books serves as a good reminder about the importance of a fencer around your pool.
Local Fence Company Owner Jeff Worley said a good fence can help keep kids and pets inside the area while keeping unwanted guests away. Worley said city code requires pool fences be at least five feet tall. Worley said he recommends mag locks to help with security.
“[Mag locks] stand above the height of the fence, and you also have the knob,” Worley said. “You have to pull it up while you push the gate at the same time, so it does increase the age limit and the intelligence of the person entering the area. So, that usually means a higher age person would be able to access it without children having easy access.”
Worley said people should consider the desired amount of space between the pool and a fence. Worley said fences constructed too close to a pool could be a hazard.
“A lot of times we see people put them relatively close because the concrete’s only four feet wide and they want the fence there,” Worley said. “It does create some issues where you could bump the fence and accidentally fall into the pool. So make sure there’s sufficient space between the fence and pool, no matter how much concrete you have.”
Worley said fences might control who has access to a pool, but people should still be smart around the water.
“Everybody should know how to swim,” Worley said. “Swimming lessons are very important even with or without a fence, in a city or county. If you’re in a county where you don’t need a fence, everyone should have access to swimming lessons.”
Worley said even people who know how to swim could still have issues, so people should exercise caution while in and around pools.
