Pool Safety - Up Close & Personal

While installing a pool fence at a house where the owners were in the process of moving in I had the misfortune of experiencing first hand the dangers of pools and children. Setting up to drill the holes I had marked out on the deck surface I observed a child approximately 5 years of age playing in the yard close to the patio. I thought nothing of him being out in the yard as long as he was a fair distance from my work area and I figured his parents were keeping an eye on him. As I was preparing the work area I heard a splash behind me. The child had moved quickly to the pool area and apparently lost his balance playing with a toy near the pool or tried reaching the toy which had fallen into the water. The child clearly could not swim and was in the deep end of the pool, fighting to keep his head above water. There was panic all over his face. I had laid down on the surface next to the water and reached as far as I could as quickly as I could. I could see he was still within my reach and I did not have to jump in. His face had submerged a few times below the surface before I grabbed him and pulled him towards me. He had taken no water into his lungs, but was a very scared little boy. The parents had seen none of this as they were busy unpacking the home they had just moved into. Needless to say, they were very upset when they answered the door and I handed them their drenched child. They learned a lesson that day and the piece of mind could not have come quicker for them when the pool fence was completed a few hours later.

Parents should always schedule the installation of their pool fence as close to their moving date as possible. As this example shows, moving day can be hectic and children are curious about the new swimming pool. Let's not give them a chance to approach the pool without a pool fence already in place.

Pool Guard of Las Vegas
Steven Powell