Pool safety tips for upcoming summer season
The official first day of summer is just under a month away, but with warmer temperatures, pools are starting to open up. While this means a lot of fun, it also means a lot of risk. 47 ABC spoke with Dennis DiCintio, the director of Environmental Health at Wicomico County Public Health, and he tells us, “Learning how to swim can be a lifesaving skill.”
And it’s also never too early to learn. DiCintio says pool safety is about knowing how to swim, but also much more.
DiCintio tells 47 ABC, “The earlier the better. Being familiar with the water, understanding the water, not being afraid of the water, knowing how to respect the water, the earlier the kids can get adjusted to that the better off they are.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, toddlers aged 1 to 4 are at the highest risk of an underwater injury or drowning. The CDC recommends fencing your pool in, taking swimming lessons, using life jackets, and above all, always having supervision.
DiCintio tells 47 ABC, “It’s critical, I mean that is the critical motto when swimming, never leave a child unattended.”
DiCintio tells 47 ABC one of the biggest mistakes he sees, “I was only gone for a minute, and understanding that it only takes a few seconds for something catastrophic to happen.”
Although pools such as this one are typically associated with most drownings, they’re not the only bodies of water you need to be concerned with this summer.
DiCintio tells 47 ABC, “Even small bodies of water, small containers of water have their own dangers. Baby pools any small body of water can be dangerous.”
On Tuesday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, or the CPSC, announced that it would again roll out its “Pool Safely” campaign. It’s an online pledge for kids and adults to stay safe when swimming. Kids pledge to never swim alone, stay away from drains, and ask for swimming lessons. On the adult pledge list is learning CPR, always having someone watching, and making sure their kids can swim. After the campaign’s launch last year, more than 11,000 kids and adults have taken the pledge.
The Wicomico Health Department is responsible for inspecting and regulating public and recreational indoor and outdoor pools across the county. DiCintio says there are also a number of pool safety resources available on their website which is: http://www.wicomicohealth.org/index.aspx?pageId=1
