Keeping Kids Safe Around Pools

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Parenting Brief. I’m your host, Jessica Stewart Gonzalez, an Arizona working mom and chief of the Office of Children’s Health at the Arizona Department of Health Services. This show is your go-to resource for parenting, how-tos and questions we’ve got you covered with expert tips and advice.

In today’s episode, we’re focusing on an important topic for families everywhere. Drowning prevention. Drowning can happen in the blink of an eye. Kids move so fast, and we must be intentional about knowing where they are and what they are doing. At every moment we know we have to shower, use the bathroom, cook dinner, make that phone call, or tend to another child.

So how can we balance all of that while reducing the risk of drowning? We are here today to answer those questions about drowning prevention and safety mechanisms that can keep families safe.[00:01:00] 

We have a drowning prevention specialist joining us. Jay Arthur is the president of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona. He’s also a retired Phoenix fire captain who helps start fire service drowning prevention efforts in Phoenix. Thanks so much for being here today, Jay. 

Jay Arthur: I’m glad to be here and get the word out.

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: So we know really that the number one thing parents can do to reduce risk of drowning is to always have eyes on their children all the time. We also know that that isn’t always possible. Kids are fast, toilets are stationary, so we can’t always just run after them. Um, what can parents do to reduce the risk of drowning for their child?

Um, when we’re really thinking about. Some of those situations that that parents find themselves in when they can’t keep their eyes on their children. 

Jay Arthur: The things I would would tell parents, um, as far as, uh, making their [00:02:00] environment safe, especially around the backyard pools, is, uh, approach it as a layering, uh, effect.

When you’re at your home, the more layers or barriers you put between your child and that backyard pool or spa, each of those barriers that you put in place, buys you time. The one thing I would tell parents, uh. First and foremost is, uh, when their kids aren’t in the swimming activity, uh, that’s when actually a lot of the kids actually get into pools and drown and people don’t realize that they actually make it from the inside house to outside of house in a non swimming environment or time.

About 70% of the, the kids that drown and die, and not only in our community, but nationwide, is because they have access to the backyard pool, and. The biggest thing I would tell them is put, uh, multiple locks or alarms on their doors that lead to the backyard pool and spa because, uh, when you are preoccupied with multiple kids and you can’t keep track of them 24 7, that.[00:03:00] 

When they get to the door and they wanna go out to the pool, uh, they can’t make it because they can’t unlatch the door because we put locks up higher than their reach. The best thing that, uh, we’ve been recommending here of late is have audible alarms. They’re very inexpensive to buy. They’re usually around 10 bucks at most stores.

And when you, uh, breach the connection to, uh, opening a door or window, a sliding door in particular, that it makes a sounding audible alarm. That says, Hey, I’m, I’m changing diapers on another little one, and all of a sudden the, the door is breached and it’ll get my attention. Know that the child’s trying to make it to the pool.

So that is one of the best barriers we can put in place because again, a lot of the children that get to the backyard pool, they’re not there swimming to begin with. They just make it out there. 

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: How much time do we really have to get to our child once we hear that alarm on the door goes off, once we know they’re outside and they’re in that pool before tragedy [00:04:00] strikes.

Jay Arthur: Obviously it’s a short amount of time like that, but a couple of thoughts there is that. You know, when that alarm goes off that there, there’s imminent danger. So everything really increases for your reaction time. But also, one thing I, I probably should have mentioned earlier is have a plan in place to say, what if the worst case scenario, my child does open that door, the alarm goes off and gets in a pool, what happens next?

And those kind of things need to be thought about ahead of time. If an incident does happen, you’re not thinking through a process that’s always been done. I kind of liken it to a, a home escape plan and a fire. If you prepare and plan it so when you actually have a fire, everything’s gonna run more smoothly because it’s not a panic situation because you’ve been through the plan.

And that’s what I tell people to, um, to also plan ahead. Like the worst case scenario, there is something in my child mix in the pool. What’s my next steps? What am I gonna do? Do I have access to call 9 1 1 [00:05:00] right away? But if you know ahead of time of what to do, when that happens, it’s not be a thinking process.

It’s gonna be something you’ll work through and you’ve done. It’s gonna make it a lot easier and a lot less stressful, uh, when all is said and done, and you’ll be able to intercede and be able to have a positive outcome if that child does make it in the water. 

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: One of the things that comes up, even with alarms on the doors, um, that provides that like audible indication that somebody has left the house, um, or that the door has been open.

We also hear about doggy doors. How can families really balance like that need or desire to have that doggy door, but also protect children who may see that as a really fun and easy way, uh, to escape the house? 

Jay Arthur: I would recommend there are security, uh, blockage type of pieces, uh, that you can block the door from the inside as far [00:06:00] as, uh, allowing access to for them to get through that, uh, opening with the doggy door.

It takes a little more effort. But if you have a doggy door that actually. Opens out into an unsecured pool, relocate the, the opening of there. So if a child gets out through that door, they’re not going into an unprotected area. The bottom line is, if it’s an unsafe deal, we have to do whatever we can to protect our children.

And if it takes us relocating that, sealing that old door up and, and put it in a different place, a safer place, so be it. That’s what we need to do. 

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: One thing that we don’t always talk about are things like the vacation rentals, um, or being over at somebody else’s house, uh, where there is a lot less control, um, around that pool safety.

What advice do you have for families who might be, um, staying at these properties or going over to homes, um, where they don’t have the control over those pool safety mechanisms? [00:07:00] 

Jay Arthur: A couple of things I would say to the parents to, if you go to the vacation rentals, you need to be first and foremost doing the same thing.

If that vacation rental is your own home, if you see that, uh, it’s not protected like it is at your house, you need to be aware of that. You need to be aware about how does those children make it to that new pool at that vacation rental that you’re not used to doing? You need to really get your guard up and say, okay, this is a place where my child can drown.

What is it that I need to secure and change or to correct or even add a sounding alarm, you know, may just run up and, and grab one if they don’t have that available to, to put on a door to give you that. Uh. That sense of, uh, some kind of protection there. So I would have parents really looking when they go to those unknown places.

And even when they travel to hotels and motels and, and uh, other places, they’re not even rentals there and, and they’re allowed to, uh, swim in a pool, [00:08:00] know what that environment is completely different.

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: Thanks. For sticking with us, please take a moment to share this episode with parents and friends in your community. It’s something we all benefit from learning about. Don’t forget to tap the plus button to follow our show and stay up to date with future episodes. Until next time, this is Jessica. You’ve got this.