A Swimming Pool Fence Can Save Lives

A swimming pool can be a fun and valuable addition to your home, but if you have pets or small children it can also be very dangerous. Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under five in the United States. For every child who drowns to death, there are many more who nearly drown. Most of these tragedies are preventable and would not occur with an adequate swimming pool fence in place.

In some parts of the country, there are laws mandating that a swimming pool fence must be in place around every residential pool and hot tub. The child drowning rates in these areas are significantly lowered due to these laws, suggesting that supervision around pools is simply not enough to prevent drownings - a fence is a necessity.

Many parents believe that they will be able to watch their children every moment and this will be enough to ensure pool safety. However, no parent is able to watch their child at all times. That's why swimming pool enclosures are so important. Having an alarm fitted to the gate can alert a parent when a child slips out of their sight and into the pool area.

Likewise, teaching your kids about swimming pool safety is not enough to keep children safe. It is important to teach your children how to be safe around water, but young children often lack the common sense and reasoning skills required to keep them out of dangerous situations. As parents, we need to keep them out of danger as much as we can.

Pets are often victims of accidental pool drowning, also. It can be fun to let your dog swim with you, but dogs can quickly become exhausted in water and unable to climb out of the pool. A swimming pool fence can help you be sure that your dog can not access the pool when you are not able to supervise.

For a swimming pool fence to be effective, the slats or bars should be close enough together that children and pets can not squeeze through. It should also be close enough to the ground that pets and children can not get under it. The fence should be self-closing and have a latch that is too high for a child to reach.

Check with your local laws and building codes for guidelines on adding a fence around your swimming pool. Whether or not you have your own children and pets, it is absolutely necessary to have a swimming pool enclosure to prevent accidents with friends' and neighbors' little ones.