5 Ways to Ensure Swimming Pool Safety in Destin, FL
Paul Brannon | May 19, 2022 | Personal Injury
For children between the ages of 1 and 4, drowning is the leading cause of death. Even when you consider older children, drowning remains the second leading cause of death for children between 1 and 14 years old.
Even in cases where a child does not die, drowning can cause permanent brain damage. The brain needs oxygen, and brain cells will begin to die after only four or five minutes without oxygen.
Here are five ways to ensure swimming pool safety in Destin, Florida.
1. Swim Lessons
Swimming lessons can help children avoid drowning. While lessons might not enable a child to save themselves, they can still help children:
- Appreciate the danger of drowning
- Play safely in the pool
- Avoid panic if they fall into a pool
- Tread water and call for help
Destin has many private swim teachers. The Aquatic Center in Destin also offers group swimming lessons for children up to 18 years old. These lessons run all summer long, from April to December.
2. CPR Training
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been the gold standard for saving someone who has drowned. CPR helps maintain blood circulation, so the brain does not die from a lack of oxygen.
In recent years, CPR has been adjusted to focus on chest compressions and eliminate rescue breathing. But this might not apply to drownings. In some situations, rescue breathing or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can still help after a drowning.
You should take a CPR class to learn how to handle resuscitation after drowning. The Destin Fire Control District offers CPR training.
3. Fencing
Florida law requires pool owners to have four-foot fences around pools. The law also requires space between the fence and the pool, so a person will not fall into the pool immediately upon entering the fence.
The gate for a pool fence must open away from the pool, and it must be self-closing and self-locking. The latch for the gate must be on the side of the fence facing the pool.
This law was created to keep vulnerable people, like children, seniors, and people with disabilities, from accidentally falling into a pool. But the law applies to all residential pools regardless of whether you have a vulnerable person in your home.
4. Supervision
Public pools must have a lifeguard. While a lifeguard can help you keep watch over your children while playing in the pool, lifeguards can get distracted. They often have a lot of people to watch and might not notice a swimmer in distress until it’s too late.
Private pools do not need to have a lifeguard. And unfortunately, private pools are where you might get distracted while visiting with friends and family. The lack of a lifeguard means that you should exercise extra vigilance when at a private, unguarded pool.
You should always supervise your children at any private or public pool. Make sure they understand the pool’s rules and play safely. You should pay particular attention when they are in the pool. A person can drown after inhaling as little as a quarter cup of water.
5. No Diving
One of the most common types of accidents for older children and adults is diving accidents. When you dive into shallow water, you can strike your head on the bottom of the pool. This can fracture the diver’s neck or cause a traumatic brain injury. Since the victim is often knocked unconscious, they can inhale water and drown.
Even if you can rescue the diver from the water, their neck and head injuries might make it impossible to revive them. And if you can resuscitate them, they might have permanent brain or spinal cord injuries.
Remember, the only pools approved for diving in Florida have diving boards or platforms. If a pool does not have a diving board or platform, you should not dive into it.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Northwest Florida
If you need legal assistance, contact the Destin injury lawyers at Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers at your nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.
We have two convenient locations in Northwest Florida:
Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Destin Office
4507 Furling Ln Suite 214
Destin, FL 32541
(850) 790-0243
Brannon & Brannon Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Fort Walton Beach Office
975 Mar Walt Dr
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
(850) 863-5297