This book will help parents understand the unique risks of their own pool environment and how to build a robust system of protection. When the Roisum family moved to Florida in 2005 they decided to install a new pool in their back yard. Everyone was excited about the aquatic fun they would enjoy for years to come. It was just another day in March when Jenna, kissed her 2 year old son Mason goodbye as she left for work. Not long after, Mason found his way to the pool and drowned. Every year, hundreds of children and infants fall victim to accidental drowning- accidents that are preventable with proper precautions. In The Pool Safety Resource, author and pool safety consultant Geoff Dawson guides parents and pool owners through the dangers and risks and helps them identify and make educated choices regarding swimming pools and other bodies of water. He offers realworld advice and solutions to help increase safety. He discusses - understanding, evaluating, and mitigating risks; - building layers of protection; - constructing a safe, new pool; - providing aquatic survival skills and swimming lessons; - establishing and communicating pool rules; - enjoying the pool safely; - preparing for emergencies; - being a pool safety advocate. Owning a pool is a huge responsibility, but the benefits to health, happiness, and family life are immeasurable. The Pool Safety Resource provides a wealth of information to help families enjoy their swimming pools safely.

The Pool Safety Resource

A Commonsense Approach to Keeping Children Safe around WaterBy Geoff Dawson

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Geoff Dawson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-9443-0

Contents

Preface..............................................................................viiAcknowledgments......................................................................ixDedication...........................................................................xiChapter 1 The Problem of Childhood Drowning..........................................1Chapter 2 Understanding, Evaluating, and Mitigating Risks............................11Chapter 3 Building Up Layers of Protection...........................................34Chapter 4 Constructing a Safe New Pool...............................................66Chapter 5 Providing Aquatic Survival Skills and Swimming Lessons.....................76Chapter 6 Establishing and Communicating Pool Rules..................................101Chapter 7 Enjoying the Pool Safely...................................................109Chapter 8 Preparing for Emergencies..................................................121Be a Pool Safety Advocate............................................................127Additional Resources.................................................................129

Chapter One

The Problem of Childhood Drowning

Isn't it ironic that doctors and scientists worldwide work around the clock, spending millions of dollars every year, to discover vaccines and treatments to prevent and cure the things that ail us, and yet as deadly as water can be, we don't need a doctor or a scientist to find a cure for drowning? All we need is for every parent, caregiver, and pool owner to think and act responsibly to keep our children safe. Each and every one of us has the power to save lives from this unforgiving killer.

I was once called by a radio station to provide a pool safety perspective after four-year-old twins both fell into a pool after being left with their nine-year-old sibling. The older child had reentered the home, leaving the twins outside next to an unprotected pool. It is not known which child entered the pool first or whether they did so voluntarily or by accident. Both children were found in the pool. Neither survived.

Pick up a newspaper or surf the web on any given day and, chances are, you will read about a drowning or a near drowning. A typical report will describe a victim between one and four years of age who is usually in the care of a family member in his own home and who, after a breakdown in supervision, manages to find his way unnoticed to the pool area, where he is discovered just minutes later. How many seconds or minutes later this discovery occurs is the primary factor in determining whether the victim lives or dies.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 4,200 emergency-department-treated submersion injuries per year (average between 2007 and 2009) and an average of 385 fatalities per year (average between 2005 and 2007). This means that drowning is the number two ranking cause of accidental death in the United States as a whole. In eighteen states, it ranks number one. According to the Houston Chronicle, in 2009, more than one hundred children died in Texas alone.

Survivors of a near drowning may have to live with varying consequences for the rest of their lives. These consequences can range from minimal motor-skill impairment to living in a vegetative state requiring round-the-clock care and feeding though tubes. Safe Kids USA estimates put the health care cost of drowning survivors around 16 billion dollars annually.

Beyond the tragedy of the victim, a drowning or a near drowning destroys lives, marriages, friendships, careers, finances, and hopes for the future. There are no warnings and no developing symptoms. One minute, it's a day like any other; the next, a world is turned upside down. Consider the following true story described by Mason's mother, Jenna. She and her husband Paul moved to Florida in September 2005 and a few months later became pregnant with their first child. Jenna continues ...

We purchased a house and settled in. Mason was not quite two when we decided to install an aboveground pool, looking forward to the family time we would be spending in the water. I have always been very safety conscience, and an aboveground pool was not only much more cost-effective, it just seemed safer. I researched safety devices and was able to find a fence/gate system that attaches to the walls of the pool extending them upwards another two feet. It was on my list of to-dos. But I wasn't overly worried. Though our pool was partially inset, it was still just about as tall as our son—he couldn't just fall in (even if he was running and tripped, he wouldn't fall in). "Besides," I thought, "we NEVER leave him alone in the backyard and God forbid something happen, we both know CPR and one or both of us is always right here.

I will order it as soon as we get our tax refund." It was 1:12 p.m. on a beautiful day in March when I kissed my son goodbye and headed for work. I turned to him and said, "Oh, you better finish lunch up, you're late, late, late for naptime." I waved good-bye, blew him another kiss, and off to work I went. That was the last time I would see my little boy alive. It was a routine afternoon. My husband, Mason, and our dog were playing in the backyard. Our four-month-old was asleep for her last nap of the day. When she awoke they all trotted in to get her but, for some reason, my husband didn't close the door behind him. During the few moments it took to get our little girl up, Mason and the dog ran back outside. My husband's ears perked up, but he wasn't overly concerned. He was heading right back out there and Mason didn't go near the pool. (He was afraid of the big pool.) Besides, it was an above-ground pool with no ladder. When it suddenly became quiet my husband glanced outside, expecting to see our son crouched down staring at a bug of some kind, as he so often did. What he saw instead was our little boy floating facedown in the pool. He sprang into action, began CPR, called for help, called 9-1-1. They were unable to revive my little boy. He was rushed to the hospital just before I got home from work and pronounced dead, about an hour after he had fallen into the pool.

Though we will never know exactly why he went over to the pool, investigators believe he was imitating the dog getting a drink from the pool. He had pulled himself up, leaned over the edge, and then fell in. I now know there is so much we could have done to prevent this tragedy. What I didn't know and what I misunderstood about drowning prevention directly lead to my son's death. Mason's drowning was preventable.

This story is one that is tragically replayed in homes across America every day of the year and that the Roisum family, like so many others, may never fully come to terms with.

When I attend safety events, I encounter parents who, it seems, would rather not talk about pool safety. I can't say why people would not want to talk about something this important. Maybe it scares them. Maybe they think they are not at risk. Maybe they think they have done all they can and don't need to have the conversation. Whatever the reason, I feel like I have missed an opportunity to have a parent review her own...