This is why we say "Its not safe to swim if you can't see the bottom"

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zea3

zea3

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Jul 10, 2009
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Houston, Texas
Every year we help hundreds of people turn their pools from swamp to sparkling. Yes, it takes time. Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks. Every pool is different. Every algae outbreak is different. We know its hot, you want to swim, the kids are nagging you to swim. Your chlorine is holding and you can see a couple of steps but its still a little murky. It looks sooo much better, surely its safe enough, right? WRONG!

Boy hospitalized in critical condition after near drowning | News - Home

Listen to how they describe what happened in the report. Two deadly mistakes occured at this party. One was allowing anyone, much less children, to swim in that murky mess. Two, did you catch it? NO ADULT SUPERVISION! The kids had to go inside to find an adult to pull the child out of the pool!

If you learn nothing else from TFP please learn this, never let kids swim without an adult poolside, and never let a child (or adult) swim in a pool when you can't see the bottom.
 
Look at that pool. You're having a party for children.

It needed to be crystal clear!!!

Please guys, we are not being mean or nasty, if your pool is cloudy, it is unswimmable!
 
Thanks for sharing that link @zea3!

I have three young boys and I am fanatical about keeping the swimming safe. I always tell people who ask about pool safety and don't feel likes it a big deal that you only get your child once, there's no bringing them back. SO what do you care more about, spending a few extra bucks on pool safety or your kid's life! Gates & fences to code, self-latching fence doors, locks on gates, swimming lessons, etc, etc. I even have all doors in the house alarmed so I know when my kid goes outside and every door in the house leading outside has a dead-bolt 30" down from the top of the door. Only my 10 year old can reach that one and he knows NEVER to go near the pool without mom or dad around to watch.

Sad and crazy that stuff like this has to keep happening....
 
It's amazing how many people on Facebook post pictures of their kids swimming in green, murky pools. I can't stand the thought of it. I guess OCD can be a good thing sometimes. If my test results aren't perfect, no one gets in our pool.
 
Samantha_in_AL said:
It's amazing how many people on Facebook post pictures of their kids swimming in green, murky pools. I can't stand the thought of it. I guess OCD can be a good thing sometimes. If my test results aren't perfect, no one gets in our pool.
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:goodpost:

I am so with you on that! I just watched the video and seriously, what the h-e-double hockey sticks were those people thinking letting the kids swim in that disgusting cesspool?!?!


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Re: This is why we say "Its not safe to swim if you can't see the bottom"

Its great to see that you guys promote safety so strongly. As a paramedic I cant even begin to explain the accidents I have responded to over the years. Some people just don't realize the everyday dangers around them and their family. 90+ percent of the accidents I have seen without a doubt, could have been prevented! Kids especially just do not comprehend the dangers associated with pools and water. ALL kids and a lot of adults will benefit from education and rules when near any water sources. Posted signs are helpful, it is a good reminder. Alarms and fences for pools are great and should be required, you never know when a visiting child or neighbor may want to explore that fun looking pool. Supervision is especially paramount with all new swimmers and guest. A rescue device hanging near the pool would help. Swim lessons are a very good idea for all new swimmers. We made sure our kids had swim lessons early since we owned a pool and also because our neighbors have pools. Anytime friends come over to play I want to know how well can they swim. We explain our "house" rules and we SUPERVISE. The best thing I can recommend is that education is the key! Everyone wants a pool to be fun not a tragedy.

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Also we keep our pool clean, sanitized, and healthy!
 

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When this was on the news the other night, I called my daughter into the room. I wanted to reiterate our rules (I didn't need to, but she's only 7 and a reminder never hurts) and why we made them regarding the pool. I also wanted her to see and hear it for herself, that kids (and adults) do drown, and it can happen in the blink of an eye.

Our rules for her are simple - if she is in the pool either myself or my wife has to be watching her, and if we have to do something else or go inside even for a minute, she has to get out and wait for us to come back, and absolutely no going in if for some reason we can't see the bottom.

She's been told several times, but it was another chance to drive that point home. This is why we have those rules. If we aren't watching, then if something happens we probably can't get to her in time. And if we can't see the bottom, we may not know anything is wrong until it's too late. Especially as much time as she spends underwater! She's a very good swimmer, especially for her age. But you just never know...

Btw, these rules also apply anywhere else she swims. An adult we trust has to be watching her, and if their pool isn't up to our standards, no swimming. If they get their feelings hurt over why we won't let her in...too bad.
 
My friend had a fresh air kid up from NYC and we were sitting beside the pool while they swam. I was watching her and something didnt look right. Turns out she was struggling to stay afloat! I asked my friend if she was ok and he jumped in while fully clothed and plucked her out. If we were not right there she would have gone under


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ship of fools said:
My friend had a fresh air kid up from NYC and we were sitting beside the pool while they swam. I was watching her and something didnt look right. Turns out she was struggling to stay afloat! I asked my friend if she was ok and he jumped in while fully clothed and plucked her out. If we were not right there she would have gone under
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That is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! Little ones don't know any better or even care most of the time, WE have to look out for them!
 
The other issue is, small children don't drown noisily like you see on TV. They simply slip under the water, and often become motionless from fear.

This happened 10 feet away from me two years ago. A woman was standing at the edge of the pool, chatting with her boyfriend who was in the pool. Then she just happened to look down, and saw her three-year-old daughter motionless under water right in front of her. The girl had been under water for at least 30 seconds before she was noticed. The mom was able to reach in and grab the child's arm and pull her out. Fortunately, the child hadn't inhaled any water, but another 20 seconds and the story might have been very different.
 
It is not just kids that drown silently, the same thing happens to adults, it just takes one slip, a splash of water going up the nose or down the throat wrong to get the ball rolling, and even the best trained swimmers can silently slip below the surface.
 
Isaac-1 said:
It is not just kids that drown silently, the same thing happens to adults, it just takes one slip, a splash of water going up the nose or down the throat wrong to get the ball rolling, and even the best trained swimmers can silently slip below the surface.
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When we had our incident the girl made no noise at all and at a casual glance it looked like she was playing in the pool. She had bobbed up and down a couple of times and was actually struggling not playing.
 

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