swimming pool safety

"A child drowning in a family swimming pool is a parent's worst nightmare," says Todd Appleman, president of eSafetyAlert.com, a Los Angeles-based company that markets the Safety Turtle pool alarm and other safety devices. "While a backyard swimming pool is the ultimate centerpiece for family recreation, it is also the single most hazardous zone for toddlers and young children." "You have to prepare for the unthinkable," said Gold, adding, "Safety essentials for families with swimming pools include having a fence that is at least five feet tall, installing self-closing and self-latching pool gates with gate alarms, having an automatic pool cover, knowing how to conduct CPR and having an effective pool alarm." "There is no replacement for active parental supervision when children are near a swimming pool," says Appleman. "But an effective pool alarm can add another 'layer of protection' just as a self-latching pool gate with an alarm creates one more barrier to protect toddlers." According to last year's data released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), drowning is now the second leading accidental cause of death among children between the ages of 1-14. An alarming 85 percent of these victims are between 1-4 years old.

"Some cities are now releasing this season's data on the number of drowning deaths and the numbers are alarming," says Appleman. "Cities that have historically been known as 'drowning hotspots' are reporting figures in line with last year, and in some cases, they are reporting even more deaths than in previous years."