Water safety around your home swimming pool requires multiple layers of protection, according to a local expert.
Jessica Parker is an Infant Swimming Resource Certified Master Instructor. Parker said effective supervision serves as the first layer of protection by designating a specific “water watcher” to monitor the pool. Even as an expert in swimming safety, Parker said she still hires a professional lifeguard for large gatherings.
“The YMCA has great lifeguards and I know a lot of them will come out and do that,” Parker said. “When everybody’s watching nobody’s watching… that’s what I like to tell a lot of my parents. Everybody thinks that somebody else has their eyes on the pool.”
Both swim instructors said parents should avoid a heavy reliance on flotation devices because they can lull children into a false sense of security in the water.
Physical barriers like fences and door locks prevent curious children from accessing the water without adult supervision. Pool alarms that detect motion or splashes in the water can also help alert residents inside the house.
“Having the child understand what happens when they’re in the water without a flotation device is very important,” Parker said. “Also learning CPR. Everyone that has a pool should take a CPR class in case of an emergency. Our first responders in the Upper Cumberland are great and try and get there as fast as possible, but having somebody that could do CPR if needed and start before our first responders get there is always beneficial.”
ISR Instructor Emma Buckler said pool owners can also purchase cameras to keep tabs on any movement near the pool.
While they suggest their use in dark, turbulent water like rivers and lakes, experts said life jackets often hold children in a vertical position, which is technically considered a drowning position, rather than the horizontal position needed for floating.
“Water is dangerous,” Buckler said. “It can be fun, 100 percent, but it is very dangerous. And by teaching the children how to get to their back or even how to push themselves over, without proper training, it’s not instinctual. I know a lot of people think it is, but it’s not.”
Buckler said general pool rules such as no running and jumping in feet first are necessary to prevent slips or neck injuries. Buckler said families should also prohibit breath-holding games to avoid shallow water blackouts, which can lead to unconsciousness and drowning.
Buckler also suggested parents make efforts to get their children accustomed to the water at early age by helping them float in the tub and pouring water on their head to get used to holding their breath. The more comfortable children are being underwater, the better, Buckler said.
“Getting these children to be one, comfortable in the water, but also giving them the skills that they can get themselves out of that circumstance is imperative,” Buckler said. “It’s hard to describe how important that actually really is.”
