Make Swimming Pools Safer

Nine people drown per day in the US. That s the average. It does not even include drownings from boat accidents. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), drowning rates have declined over the years, but drowning is still the second-leading cause of injury-related deaths of children.

While most drownings of infants under a year of age occur in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets, most drownings of children 1-4 years of age occur in residential swimming pools. The facts surrounding the drownings of young children in residential pools can send a chill down any parent s spine:

• Most children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home.
• Most young children who drowned in pools had been out of sight for less than five minutes.
• The majority of children who drowned in pools were in the care of one or both parents at the time.

If you have a pool at home, be sure it is as safe as possible. Never, ever, leave a child unsupervised in or near a pool.

The American Red Cross recommends the following steps to maximize the safety of home swimming pools:

• Everyone adults and children should learn to swim. This is the best step you can take to stay safe around water. The American Red Cross, along with numerous community and private organizations, offers swimming instruction for people of all ages and skill levels.
• Children should be observed at all times when in or around the water, even if they have learned to swim.
• Keep a telephone near the pool so you can call for help in an emergency. This is now an especially practical suggestion with the advent of cell phones.
• Learn CPR and insist that all adults who supervise children in a pool are proficient in CPR. You can also post CPR instructions in the pool area.
• Keep lifesaving equipment (pole, rope, and personal flotation devices) by the pool at all times.
• Pools should be enclosed by a fence with a self-locking, self-closing gate. There should be no openings in the fence that are greater than four inches wide.
• Do not position furniture near the fence that could enable a child to climb over the fence.
• Keep all toys away from the pool and pool area. Children can fall into a pool when attempting to reach or retrieve a toy. (This is ideal but may not always be practical.)
• Always remove pool covers completely before swimming.
• If your child is missing, check the pool first. Walk around the edge of the pool and examine the entire pool, including the bottom, sides, and surface.

Many devices have been developed to improve pool safety, including monitors that sound when someone enters the water and wristband-style monitors that sound if a child falls into the water. While many people purchase these devices, they should be used only as a supplemental security measure and should never replace parental oversight and/or adult supervision of pool areas.

Pool covers have also been advertised as having a perfect safety record. They are best considered supplemental and should never replace the need for proper fencing on all sides of a pool.

-

Make Swimming Pools Safer

Nine people drown per day in the US. That s the average. It does not even include drownings from boat accidents. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), drowning rates have declined over the years, but drowning is still the second-leading cause of injury-related deaths of children.

While most drownings of infants under a year of age occur in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets, most drownings of children 1-4 years of age occur in residential swimming pools. The facts surrounding the drownings of young children in residential pools can send a chill down any parent s spine:

• Most children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home.
• Most young children who drowned in pools had been out of sight for less than five minutes.
• The majority of children who drowned in pools were in the care of one or both parents at the time.

If you have a pool at home, be sure it is as safe as possible. Never, ever, leave a child unsupervised in or near a pool.

The American Red Cross recommends the following steps to maximize the safety of home swimming pools:

• Everyone adults and children should learn to swim. This is the best step you can take to stay safe around water. The American Red Cross, along with numerous community and private organizations, offers swimming instruction for people of all ages and skill levels.
• Children should be observed at all times when in or around the water, even if they have learned to swim.
• Keep a telephone near the pool so you can call for help in an emergency. This is now an especially practical suggestion with the advent of cell phones.
• Learn CPR and insist that all adults who supervise children in a pool are proficient in CPR. You can also post CPR instructions in the pool area.
• Keep lifesaving equipment (pole, rope, and personal flotation devices) by the pool at all times.
• Pools should be enclosed by a fence with a self-locking, self-closing gate. There should be no openings in the fence that are greater than four inches wide.
• Do not position furniture near the fence that could enable a child to climb over the fence.
• Keep all toys away from the pool and pool area. Children can fall into a pool when attempting to reach or retrieve a toy. (This is ideal but may not always be practical.)
• Always remove pool covers completely before swimming.
• If your child is missing, check the pool first. Walk around the edge of the pool and examine the entire pool, including the bottom, sides, and surface.

Many devices have been developed to improve pool safety, including monitors that sound when someone enters the water and wristband-style monitors that sound if a child falls into the water. While many people purchase these devices, they should be used only as a supplemental security measure and should never replace parental oversight and/or adult supervision of pool areas.

Pool covers have also been advertised as having a perfect safety record. They are best considered supplemental and should never replace the need for proper fencing on all sides of a pool.

-

Make Swimming Pools Safer

Nine people drown per day in the US. That s the average. It does not even include drownings from boat accidents. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), drowning rates have declined over the years, but drowning is still the second-leading cause of injury-related deaths of children.

While most drownings of infants under a year of age occur in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets, most drownings of children 1-4 years of age occur in residential swimming pools. The facts surrounding the drownings of young children in residential pools can send a chill down any parent s spine:

• Most children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home.
• Most young children who drowned in pools had been out of sight for less than five minutes.
• The majority of children who drowned in pools were in the care of one or both parents at the time.

If you have a pool at home, be sure it is as safe as possible. Never, ever, leave a child unsupervised in or near a pool.

The American Red Cross recommends the following steps to maximize the safety of home swimming pools:

• Everyone adults and children should learn to swim. This is the best step you can take to stay safe around water. The American Red Cross, along with numerous community and private organizations, offers swimming instruction for people of all ages and skill levels.
• Children should be observed at all times when in or around the water, even if they have learned to swim.
• Keep a telephone near the pool so you can call for help in an emergency. This is now an especially practical suggestion with the advent of cell phones.
• Learn CPR and insist that all adults who supervise children in a pool are proficient in CPR. You can also post CPR instructions in the pool area.
• Keep lifesaving equipment (pole, rope, and personal flotation devices) by the pool at all times.
• Pools should be enclosed by a fence with a self-locking, self-closing gate. There should be no openings in the fence that are greater than four inches wide.
• Do not position furniture near the fence that could enable a child to climb over the fence.
• Keep all toys away from the pool and pool area. Children can fall into a pool when attempting to reach or retrieve a toy. (This is ideal but may not always be practical.)
• Always remove pool covers completely before swimming.
• If your child is missing, check the pool first. Walk around the edge of the pool and examine the entire pool, including the bottom, sides, and surface.

Many devices have been developed to improve pool safety, including monitors that sound when someone enters the water and wristband-style monitors that sound if a child falls into the water. While many people purchase these devices, they should be used only as a supplemental security measure and should never replace parental oversight and/or adult supervision of pool areas.

Pool covers have also been advertised as having a perfect safety record. They are best considered supplemental and should never replace the need for proper fencing on all sides of a pool.

-

Nine people drown per day in the US. That s the average. It does not even include drownings from boat accidents. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), drowning rates have declined over the years, but drowning is still the second-leading cause of injury-related deaths of children.

While most drownings of infants under a year of age occur in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets, most drownings of children 1-4 years of age occur in residential swimming pools. The facts surrounding the drownings of young children in residential pools can send a chill down any parent s spine:

• Most children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home.
• Most young children who drowned in pools had been out of sight for less than five minutes.
• The majority of children who drowned in pools were in the care of one or both parents at the time.

If you have a pool at home, be sure it is as safe as possible. Never, ever, leave a child unsupervised in or near a pool.

The American Red Cross recommends the following steps to maximize the safety of home swimming pools:

• Everyone adults and children should learn to swim. This is the best step you can take to stay safe around water. The American Red Cross, along with numerous community and private organizations, offers swimming instruction for people of all ages and skill levels.
• Children should be observed at all times when in or around the water, even if they have learned to swim.
• Keep a telephone near the pool so you can call for help in an emergency. This is now an especially practical suggestion with the advent of cell phones.
• Learn CPR and insist that all adults who supervise children in a pool are proficient in CPR. You can also post CPR instructions in the pool area.
• Keep lifesaving equipment (pole, rope, and personal flotation devices) by the pool at all times.
• Pools should be enclosed by a fence with a self-locking, self-closing gate. There should be no openings in the fence that are greater than four inches wide.
• Do not position furniture near the fence that could enable a child to climb over the fence.
• Keep all toys away from the pool and pool area. Children can fall into a pool when attempting to reach or retrieve a toy. (This is ideal but may not always be practical.)
• Always remove pool covers completely before swimming.
• If your child is missing, check the pool first. Walk around the edge of the pool and examine the entire pool, including the bottom, sides, and surface.

Many devices have been developed to improve pool safety, including monitors that sound when someone enters the water and wristband-style monitors that sound if a child falls into the water. While many people purchase these devices, they should be used only as a supplemental security measure and should never replace parental oversight and/or adult supervision of pool areas.

Pool covers have also been advertised as having a perfect safety record. They are best considered supplemental and should never replace the need for proper fencing on all sides of a pool.

-

[TS] OUTDOORS; The Ice Bear Cometh, Wearing Nothing but a Speedo
I was ready to plunge into the frozen waters of a lake in a bid to set a world record for the longest swim in ice water.
By LEWIS GORDON PUGH
[TS] Girl-Watching, Tanning And (of Course) Lifesaving
Of all the ways that teenagers can make money in the summer, there is probably none that occupies a stronger place in collective social memory than being a lifeguard at the local public pool.
By JENNIFER MEDINA
VITAL SIGNS: REMEDIES; Swimmer’s Ear Easily Fixed With Right Treatment
Swimmer' s ear is caused when water that becomes trapped in the ear during swimming helps bacteria breed.
By Eric Nagourney
[TS] BO TE; Cocktails and Chlorine
The QT, off Times Square, is owned by Andr Balazs, whose portfolio includes the Raleigh in South Beach and the Chateau Marmont.
By JESSICA PRESSLER
[TS] New York Says Poor Must Pay For Recreation
Starting July 1, the city will charge $50 to $75 a year to use the recreation centers, all of which are in low-income neighborhoods.
By SEWELL CHAN
[TS] CUTTINGS; The Secrets of the Moors, Transplanted to California
Brandon Tyson transformed a garden in Sonoma Valley to a Moorish paradise by using plants as architectural elements.
By KEN DRUSE
POSTING; Everybody Into the Pool
More than a dozen residential buildings under construction or created within the last year will have, or already have, swimming pools.
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
[TS] George Haines, 82; Coached Swimmers to 68 Olympic Medals
George Haines helped develop some of the greatest swimmers of recent decades, including the Olympic champions Mark Spitz and Don Schollander.
By FRANK LITSKY
[TS] TRIATHLON; Knicks Motivate a 74-Year-Old Ironman
The Knicks are not very good these days, so Dr. Arthur Figur, 74, is thinking about moving his stationary bicycle back in front of his television set.
By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI
[TS] Closer to the River
The rebirth of the Hudson River is tantalizingly incomplete.
[TS] SWIMMING; Phelps Shows Gold-Medal Form On Long Island
Michael Phelps, winner of six gold medals in the 2004 Olympics, had another strong performance in the FINA World Cup at the Nassau County Athletic Center.
LIVING HERE; Swimming Holes
A woman talks about her home in the Catskills.
As told to Bethany Lyttle
[TS] Eric Namesnik, 35, Winner Of 2 Silver Medals in Olympics
Eric Namesnik won silver medals in swimming in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and became a coach of several Olympians.
By FRANK LITSKY
AHEAD | Polar Bear Club Swims; New Year Parties (Don’t Hold the Ice)
Polar Bears Club swims have become a fixture of New Year' s Day.
By NICK KAYE
[TS] Online Shopper; Shaking Possibility Out of the Great Web Tree
The Internet organized the world' s information in such a tantalizingly accessible manner that it seems remiss not to know whether pears should be allowed to ripen before picking.
By Michelle Slatalla