Ok, I am just going to say it…Just because it hasn’t happened to you or one of your loved ones doesn’t mean that it can’t or won’t happen. Summer is here and school is out. A big part of summer fun and relaxation is swimming in pools or dipping in hot tubs. Parents everywhere think they have safety covered when they zip up or tie on a safety life jacket and have life rings available at the poolside. They may even feel reassured if there is a fence around the pool and an alarm is activated when the volume or level of water changes; which would alert a parent to the presence of a person in the pool.
Those things are very important; however, there are even more precautions to take to keep your kids safe in this environment. Many people aren’t even aware of this particular danger that we are going to discuss today. The danger I am talking about is the vacuum or suction that allows for the water in the pool, or hot tub to circulate.
A child or even some adults are in danger because of the design of those drains, in some pools. The power of these drains can drastically alter or cause the loss of life. Pools that aren’t up to date, or equipped, with various layers of protection, regarding the force of the suction in these drains, can kill or permanently harm human lives.
It is important to note that people on vacation may not be aware of the quality or level of protection that a hotel/campground/waterpark may or may not have. It’s even possible for people to take for granted that the neighbor’s or grandma/grandpa’s pool is “safe” for their children’s use this summer.
Using large drain covers that are considered to be blockage free; and, that are firmly attached with screws are the first step towards protecting lives. Equally important to the issue of safety and well-being is to have back up systems that help to restrict, or reduce the amount of suction through these drains.
There are safety shut off valves, that can save lives too; those safety shut off valves can sense when a drain becomes blocked and the force increases on the surface of the drain cover. This powerful suction can occur when the skin of a person covers the drain and pulls with a large force trapping a person underwater; so a shut off valve is critical for saving lives.
Precious time is often lost because people believe that they can just pull a small person off of the drain cover…but, it just isn’t so. Even with adult men pulling on the victims, that have lost their lives, they could not be freed from the force of that suction and they drowned or had their intestines pulled from their bodies because of that force. No one should die such a senseless death when it is possible to avoid such a tragedy. It is a horrible situation that can be prevented if only all pools and hot tubs were equipped with these safety measures.
Imagine the helplessness of those survivors of such incidents…watching an innocent swimmer suffer and needlessly die because they could not be freed from a pool or hot tub drain. It is a vision that would be hard to live with. There are safety advocates that are trying to enforce legislation to protect us all; if you would write to your representatives in Congress and express your desire for layers of safety measures to be implemented and enforced, all around the nation, it would help.
Swimming is a great summer activity and there is no reason to avoid taking part in it as long as you are aware of the risks and take appropriate precautions. Check out those pools that you “visit”…make sure that they are equipped with large safe drain covers. Don’t be afraid to ask question and don’t be willing to be pacified with answers that don’t address the issues of safety for your family. See for yourself if there is a shut off valve available that is quick to reach (we’ve been in hotels where those are behind a locked door).
If a public pool does not appear to be safe; report it to authorities outside of the organization or facility where the pool/hot tub is housed; you could be saving lives. Don’t take chances. Teach children and teens to avoid the drain areas of pools and hot tubs or better yet; teach them not to get into an unknown pool without checking it’s safety features.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that by the time a hotel employee could be located with a key…someone could drown before help could arrive. Protect your loved ones by being safe…being aware, and sharing this information with those who may not know of this danger!
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