 Swimming Pool Safety
Picture this in your mind: a nice, beautiful Sunday afternoon in
the backyard pool — all of your family has gathered together to
enjoy a cookout — your wife, children, and relatives are all
together to enjoy the company of those who mean so much to them.
Everyone is enjoying the cool, blue water.
This is the reason you work so hard — to share and to provide for
the ones you love.
Then your attention is turned from your young daughter — just for
a moment — a moment too long — a moment long enough for your child
to slip silently under the surface of the water. No one notices
until it is too late.
All of a sudden, this beautiful Sunday afternoon has turned
tragic.
At first shock sets in, then panic, then anger, and finally
desperation. Thoughts of what you could have done differently, and
who to blame race in your mind. That minute, hour, and day will live
with you for the rest of your life.
Every year my Lake Patrol deputies deal with dozens of tragic
accidents and unnecessary deaths in and around water. These
tragedies make water safety everyone’s responsibility, no matter
what!
A swimming pool is a very dangerous place for children, so
following these very important rules can save lives:
- Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for
a moment.
- Stay within an arm's length of your child.
- Put up a fence with a self-locking gate to separate your house
from the pool; most municipalities have ordinances regarding pool
fences.
- Keep rescue equipment such as hook and life preserver near the
pool, along with a telephone.
- Do not let your child use air-filled "floaties" because they
are not a substitute for approved life vests.
- Learn CPR and be able to rescue a child if needed.
- Remove all toys from the pool after use, so children are not
tempted to reach for them.
- After the children are done swimming, secure the pool so they
are not able to get back into it.
Teaching your children to be safe around water is important, but
remember it is up to you to keep them safe. Please watch your kids
whenever they are around water.
Sincerely,
Joe Arpaio
Maricopa County Sheriff
|
July
2006