The Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services has issued the following tips regarding water safety for the summer season:
- Basic water safety rules:
- Water safety starts with correct supervision.
- Children cannot be left alone in the swimming pool, even if it is a children’s pool.
- Parents should always exercise the touch and reach supervision strategy, which means that they are always within an arm`s length of the child.
- Parents shouldn`t leave smaller children under the supervision of other older children, as this is a fatal exercise and practice.
- Invite other parents and adults to help supervise a bigger number of children in the pool, as one adult can only manage a few.
- If there will be children swimming at a bigger gathering, be sure to designate pool guards who do not drink or socialise and will be alert at all times.
- Basic cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential to parents and life guards with children who have access to pools.
- Floaters or inflatable devices are not an alternative to supervision, as they will not prevent children from drowning.
- Create basic rules for swimming pools, like “no running,” “no diving” and “no swimming alone”.
- What to do to keep children safe around the swimming pool:
- There is no substitute for a four-sided fence around the swimming pool.
- The fencing around the pool must not be able to be climbed over by children and it must have a self-closing or self-latching gate that is above the reach of children.
- There shouldn`t be any items near the pool that would allow children to climb up over the fence to access the pool.
- Other children in the neighbourhood should not have access to the yard, as this will lure them to jump over the boundary fence into the premises to access the swimming pool.
- Pool covers, door alarms and pool alarms work well in conjunction with fences, but they are not a substitute for a four-sided pool fence.
- The swimming pool should be covered with a pool net at all times, when not in use.
- Keep toys away from the swimming pool when it is not being used.
- Air-filled or floating devices are not a substitution for life jackets. They are not meant to be used as safety devices.
Parents need to recognise that swimming lessons do not protect children from drowning, only constant supervision can.
Always make sure that swimming instructors are certified and that they have the proper experience when giving swimming lessons to children.
Parents need to understand that summer time is a fun time with great weather for children to play in and around water, however, they must be mindful that swimming can be potentially very dangerous.
It is important to know what types of precautions to take and what they need to be aware of in terms of keeping their children safe in the water.
For any water-related emergencies, contact the Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Services on:
- Emergency number: 011 458-0911
- National emergency number: 10177
- Cellphone emergency number: 112
