Fire Department - Public Education - Tips for Drowning Prevention
BARRIERS OF PROTECTION
- Pool fences must be a minimum of four feet high and must surround the water on all four sides.
- All doorways entering into a screen enclosure should be self-closing and have self-latching gates. Door handles should be above a child's reach (54").
- Doors and windows leading from the house to the pool area should be equipped with entry alarms, with the disabling mechanisms installed above a child's reach.
SUPERVISION
- Never leave a child alone near the water, not even for one second!
- Designate a child watcher at all social functions.
- Never assume someone is watching your child.
- Never rely on "floaties" or floating toys to protect your child from drowning.
- Make sure all baby-sitters and other child care providers know how to swim, know CPR and know how to react in an emergency.
BE PREPARED
- If a child is missing, look in the pool area first.
- If you find a child unconscious in the water, yell for help, get the child out of the pool and onto the pool deck.
- Have a phone installed at poolside, and call 9-1-1 immediately in the event of an emergency.
KNOW CPR
- Make sure everyone in the family knows how to swim.
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