A swimming pool in your backyard provides relaxation and constant recreation for your family. But pools can be extremely dangerous for young children, who can fall in and drown if left unattended, even for a minute. Although adult supervision is the only way to truly prevent accidents from happening, some devices on the market can dramatically improve the safety of your swimming pool.
Fencing
A removable fence around your pool will block access to a wandering toddler. A standard pool fence comes in 12-foot sections, which can be used to shield a part of the pool or the entire circumference. Pool fences have designated openings with locking devices, and they're installed in the ground so they stay securely in place. Most fences are easy to put together, to install and then to take down once the toddler is grown or if you need to remove it for a special event.
Safety Nets
Safety nets prohibit drowning by covering the water's surface with a mesh netting that is fine enough to stop a child's head from going through it. The nets are firmly anchored to the ground yet easy to remove when the pool is in use.
Automatic Pool Covers
An automatic pool cover is motor-driven and easily opens and closes over the pool, keeping small children out of the water when adults are not present. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) requires that an automatic pool cover be capable of holding the weight of two adults and one child in case a water rescue is necessary.
Pool Alarms
A variety of alarms can be installed around the pool area and in the pool itself to alert a parent if a toddler accesses a prohibited area or falls into the pool. Some pool alarms detect movement around the pool area, and some detect movement on the pool's surface if an object enters the water. Another type of alarms that may be helpful is an alarm that can be installed on a back door leading out to the pool area so that parents are alerted if their toddler opens a door that he shouldn't. With any of these systems, quick action is necessary if an alarm does go off, because a toddler can drown in a matter of minutes.
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