Pool Safety

Too often, firefighters hear people say, "it was just a few seconds." Unfortunately, just a few seconds is all it takes for a child to drown.

Most children drown in their own backyard swimming pool, but others drown in buckets, bathtubs, toilets, dog water bowls, canals and ponds. Small children are top-heavy, and they don't have the upper body strength to lift themselves out of one of these dangerous situations. Even if the child survives the incident, they are often left with permanent brain damage.

Drowning and near drowning can be prevented, and you can help! Anyone involved with the supervision of children needs to be aware of the dangers associated with any body of water. Below are some useful tips to prevent these needless tragedies.

• Know where your children are at all times.
• Use an approved barrier to separate the pool from the house.
• Never allow children to be alone near a pool or any water source.
• Have life-saving devices near the pool, such as a hook, or flotation device.
• Keep large objects such as tables, chairs, toys, and ladders away from pool fences.
• Do not allow children to play around the pool and store all toys outside the pool area.
• If you leave the pool area, take the children with you.
• Always have a "designated child watcher".
• Learn to swim.
• Never swim alone, or while under the influence of alcohol or medications.
• Never swim when thunder or lightning is present.
• Never dive into unfamiliar or shallow bodies of water.

Bucket Safety

Buckets filled with water or other liquids, especially the large five-gallon size, present a drowning hazard to small children.

Nationally, about 25 children drown every year in buckets, and many more are hospitalized. Many of the containers involved in these drownings were 5-gallon buckets containing liquids. Most were used for mopping floors or other household chores. Many were less than half full.

A young child's curiosity, along with their crawling and pulling up while learning to walk can lead to danger when buckets are used around the house. Curious children lean forward to play in the water. When they topple into the bucket, they are unable to free themselves and drown.

The 5-gallon bucket is particularly dangerous because its heavier weight makes it more stable than a smaller bucket, and unlikely to tip over when a child uses it to pull up. These containers are about half the height of the infants, and with several gallons of water, weigh more than children of that age.

• Never leave any bucket of water or other liquid unattended when small children are around.
• Even a partly filled bucket can be a drowning hazard.
• When doing household chores, immediately empty out buckets when finished, or move them to a safe place before taking a break.
• ALWAYS watch your children around water, inside the home, around the pool and around the yard.