When the weather gets hot, sunny and humid, it’s always refreshing to take a dip in the pool. Swimming can be a fun, relaxing way to spend your summer days with family and friends—but it’s important that everyone is safe. There are myriad ways a pool can be dangerous, but counteracting those are tips to ensure that you, your family and friends have an enjoyable, incident-free summer.
- Learn to swim. Make sure you and your children know how to swim; if you don’t, enroll yourself and/or them in swimming classes.
- Do not trust pool noodles to protect you or your children from drowning. If you or your children are not capable of swimming without a floatation device, be sure to have one handy.
- If the pool is on your property, build a fence around it that will prevent children and animals from accessing it without your supervision. The fence should latch shut.
- If you can’t find a child, always check the pool first.
- Learn how to do CPR—on children and adults.
- Keep these tools handy near your pool: floatation devices, a first-aid kit, drinking water, towels, and scissors (to cut hair).
- Install anti-entrapment drain covers.
- Install an alarm system around your pool that you can hear inside the house if a child opens the gate to the pool. Also, there are underwater alarms that detect water movement—they will alert you if someone or something falls into the pool.
- Keep the area around your pool clean to avoid injuries from tripping and slipping.
- Store pool chemicals in a safe place.
There are endless things you can do to make sure you and your family stay safe this summer while enjoying the luxury of a swimming pool. But, precautions and all, accidents happen. Give us a call today about how your homeowners policy will cover you.
