Prevent Drowning in Domestic Swimming Pools

Ever since swimming pools have existed in private homes companies have thought of ways to prevent drownings which unfortunately is still a real danger today. We'll look at the options available in the current market and usual costs involved.

Drowning Prevention Option 1 - Fencing

If a child can't reach the pool then there is little chance of them drowning in it. This method can be expensive depending on what you use for a fence and it's not going to be the most attractive feature in the garden lets face it. Not always as safe as people think, gates can be left open or a child could work out how to get into the pool area by opening a gate or climbing a fence. This method can be reinforced by using a gate or perimeter alarm to warn when someone gets through the fence but still doesn't stop them falling in.

Drowning Prevention Option 2 - Alarms

Many alarms are available on the market today to warn of an approach to the pool side or when someone actually falls into the pool. A product such as Poolguard which sits on the side of the pool can cost around £300-400 and alerts the owner as soon as someone enters the water giving you precious time to retrieve said child or pet straight away. Another method which can be useful if you have both a pool and spa or more than one water feature is to tag the child using a Safety Turtle. This uses a lockable wristband that the child wears at all times and alerts the base station alarm if at any point the child enters a body of water and needs assistance. These are useful if you have multiple locations, for use in holiday swimming pools and can be used on a whole family of kids with just the one base station. From around £200 for two kids the Safety Turtle is great value for money and feedback on the product seems to be more than positive.
Another type of alarm worth considering if you don't really want your child in the pool before you know about it is to install a perimeter alarm to alert you when a child or pet enters the pool area hopefully giving you time to stop them before they even enter the pool. By setting up posts around the pool area which emit beams any break in the signal by someone crossing the beams will activate the alarm system. With a decent perimeter alarm costing from £750 it is certainly more expensive than the other alarm options but gives you alarm pre warning of a possible immersion.

Drowning Prevention Option 3 - Full safety Cover

Automatic safety covers for pools have been around for a good number of years and are the only true method of preventing a child entering the water. Being powered it is key lockable so without the key no one can gain access to the pool, this gives the added bonus of pool security and means less debris and wildlife in the pool. Naturally having a fully automatic safety cover fitted is not cheap, from around £8,000 plus installed it is expensive but then what value do you put on a child's life. You also get much more than a safety device, you get an all year round cover that will last for years, fully automatic operation and good solar and heat retention properties.

Conclusion
It really comes down to how much of the time will children be around the pool area unsupervised and what sort of budget you have to spend. Having a system in place is better than no system and for less than a few hundred pounds you can get a great alarm setup. However for full security an automatic safety cover is the only way to go, just remember nothing here replaces good old fashioned parental supervision and common sense around wet leisure environment's.

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