The A,B,C & D's of Pool Safety

This is a great way to remember the importance of safety around the family swimming pool and to keep small children safe:

*A - Adult Supervision: It is important to remember that there is no substitute for adult supervision when small children have access to a swimming pool. Always appoint one adult as the "designated supervisor".

*B - Barriers: These include pool fences and self-closing gates. By installing a pool fence and a reliable self-closing walk-thru gate you are insuring that you have created a complete barrier between a small child and the pool.

*C - Classes: Swimming classes for the kids and CPR for Mom and Dad. Every child should know how to swim. While you may install a pool fence around your swimming pool to protect your little ones, you may take your children to a home where there is a swimming pool, but no pool fence. It is vital that children learn how to swim at as early an age as possible. Every parent should know CPR.

*D - Devices: These include life jackets and keeping a telephone outside by the pool at all times.

Pool Guard of Las Vegas
Steven Powell

The ABCD of Pool Safety

Drownings and near drownings are on the rise in the valley this summer. The accidents happen every year, but so far this year appears to be worse than others. Theres a good chance of not hearing a child who's in the process of drowning. That's why constant, visual contact is the only option.

More than swimming lessons are needed to protect your child from drowning. Water play can turn tragic in a matter of seconds, and you may not hear it happen. "Drowning is known as the silent death," says Scott Allison with Clark County Fire Department. "So there's very little splashing and hardly ever any kind of noise or yelling or whatever." It's a point thats driven home in video of a near drowning. A child slips to the bottom of this pool unnoticed. She doesn't flail or yell, as some might expect. The lifeguards missed it. They tell us there were only two of them watching a pool with more than a hundred swimmers.

Fortunately the girl was rescued quickly thanks to a high tech computer system. It uses cameras that scan the pool for motionless swimmers. The cameras are both inside the pool and above it. The system sets off an alarm. It alerts lifeguards to potential problems. In case they don't see it on their own.

Not available yet in las vegas, but could be soon in commercial pools here. Most child drownings occur in the family's own backyard. Toddlers are most at risk because they usually can't swim and they're adventurous. To protect your family, experts recommend installing a child safety fence. It should be at least four feet high and surround the pool completely, because this kind of tragedy can occur in minutes.

It's something Cierra Sonetti knows all too well. Her son Austin nearly drowned two years ago in his grandfather's pool. It happened during a family party, with several adults. "I couldn't even explain to you what happened because it happened that quick," Sonetti said. "I think he tried walking on the pool cover and my husband had actually pulled the pool cover back and found him," Sonetti explains. "He was just lifeless and just blue and soaking wet."

Austin is now 3. He suffered brain damage and is in a vegetative state. Cierra spends most of her time caring for him. "It's 150 percent preventable and no family needs to go through it," says Sonetti. It's a message echoed by the Clark County Fire Department in a new public service campaign.

Just a few minutes of oxygen deprivation can lead to permanent brain damage or death. "It's been the worst experience of our life, but we still have him," Sonetti said. "And he's here with us. And it is a lot of work to take care of but I wouldn't trade it. I wouldn't change it for anything."

The fire department wants to remind you about drowning prevention.
A stands for adult supervision, with eye contact. As we showed you, you might not hear anything. B is for barriers like pool fences and alarms. C is for classes. Swimming classes for your kids and CPR for you. D stands for devices. Things like life jackets and rescue tools. However, you should not depend on a floatation device to keep your child safe!