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POOL SAFETY

For Janet Browne, her family and neighbors, the backyard is a slice of summer heaven. With her large pool and a slide that makes children’s eyes light up with excitement, it’s recreation and “R&R” for adults and kids alike. But, Janet lays down the law. “If I am not here, they are not to be in our pool and if there is no adult they are not to swim,” says Janet.

Janet even posted a sign detailing specific pool rules, before anyone entered the pool area. “No running because the deck gets wet, the stairway up to the slide gets wet. No clowning around, no jumping on top of each other and no diving.”
According to pediatric trauma surgeon, Dr. Nelson Rosen, of North Shore University Hospital, more parents need to take cues on pool safety from Janet.
“Water injuries are the second leading cause of injury-related death in children age 1-14 and that’s huge, especially because it’s so preventable,” reports Dr. Rosen.
And he emphasizes that supervision is crucial. “They look over there, or they talk on the phone, or they’re sleeping, resting. That’s not supervision. 90% of drowning cases are supervised, it’s a lapse and it takes a second,” says Dr. Rosen.
Even YMCA lifeguard, Laura Angiusto reinforces that parents must be proactive. “The busier it is, the harder it is to watch,” says Laura.
Medical experts explain that when it comes to pool safety, the depth of the water doesn’t matter, as long as water can get in and block your airway, you can drown. “Within 2 minutes, a child will be unconscious and 4-6 minutes, there’s irreversible brain damage and most people that die, are discovered after 10 minutes,” says Dr. Rosen.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics you should not have a pool in your yard until your children are older than 5. You must put up a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool to separate your house from the pool.
Use gates that self-close and self-latch with latches higher than your children’s reach.
Dr. Rosen also advises every adult should take a course in CPR and he reminds parents that pool floats are not a replacement for a life-vest.
“If the child flips in such a way that they can’t right themselves, they could be stuck under water,” says Dr. Rosen.
And medical experts say it really doesn’t matter what time of year it is when it comes to pool safety. During the spring, fall and winter you still need to take precautions because even a pool cover can be deadly, a child can fall and the cover will suck him or he right into the water.
For more information about pool safety, click here:
http://www.aap.org/family/tipppool.htm

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