According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an
average of 350 children under five years of age drown each
year in swimming pools, many in residential pools. Nationally, drowning is a leading cause of death to children under five. The key to preventing these tragedies is to have layers of protection. This includes placing barriers around your pool to prevent access, using pool alarms, closely supervising your child and being prepared in case of an emergency.

CPSC offers these tips to prevent drowning:

· Fences and walls should be at least 4 feet high and installed completely around the pool. Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should be out of a small child's reach.

· If your house forms one side of the barrier to the pool, then doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with alarms that produce a sound when a door is unexpectedly opened.

· Keep rescue equipment by the pool and be sure a portable phone is poolside with emergency numbers posted. Knowing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be a lifesaver.

· For aboveground pools, steps and ladders to the pool should be secured and locked or removed when the pool is not in use.

· If a child is missing, always look in the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.

THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CAUTIONS DIVERS ABOUT IMPROPER DIVING PRACTICES. Diving injuries can result in
quadriplegia, paralysis below the neck, to divers who hit the
bottom or side of a swimming pool, according to CPSC.

For more tips about pool safety, please visit the CPSC website at http://www.cpsc.gov.