June is HOT, especially this week! One of the best ways to cool off is a dip in the pool. Unfortunately, in the news recently there have been incidents of people, mostly children, drowning. You can prevent most pool accidents with some basic pool safety guidelines:

• Have proper pool safety equipment readily available. Have a 4 foot tall fence surrounding the entire pool area with a quick latching door that locks.
• If your house is the 4th side of the fence then make sure you have alarms on the doors and windows facing the pool. This will alert you if a child is outside near the pool.
• Make sure the pool cover fits securely around the pool itself. The best type of cover is a lockable pool cover.
• Have a safety flotation device located right next to the pool.
• Keep a first aid kit in the pool area.
• Post CPR instructions on a fence or pool house. It is much more helpful if you are CPR certified.
• Make sure you are a good swimmer, if not take lessons. Same is true for your children. Start swim lessons early.
• Never leave children unsupervised in the pool area.
• Always have one person in charge of directly watching children in the pool. Never assume someone else is watching the kids. Talk about who is in charge before the kids go in.
• If a child is in the pool and not splashing around…check them! This can often be “silent drowning.”

Pools are a fantastic way to beat the heat. If safety comes first everyone will have a great time! Look at our Homeowners page to find out more information on what your policy covers: mancuso-nowak.com/coverage/home. Call us with any questions!