PSA: Pool Safety

However, it’s important for parents and children to remember to be safe while in the water. The experts at Rural Metro Fire offer these safety steps to assure that a fun afternoon at the pool stays fun.

Important actions to take at the pool:

• Watch children at all times
• Know the basics of life-saving, including CPR
• Learn how to swim, and teach your child how to swim
• Teach children basic water safety tips
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments
• Keep a cellphone close
• Share safety instructions with family, friends and neighbors

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, at least 202 children between the ages of 1 and 14 drowned in a swimming pool or spa in the United States last year, according to the USA Swimming Foundation.

Of those, 143 of the victims were children under the age of five. Each year more than 3,200 children younger than five are taken to hospital emergency departments due to injuries obtained in pools and spas.

And remember, if a child is missing, look for him or her in the pool first.