With April in full swing, swimming season is just around the corner! Perhaps some of you have already bravely dipped your toes in the pool to see if you can handle it. Maybe some of you even went for it! We have such beautiful weather here on the east coast of Florida that we get to enjoy an exceptionally long swimming season. This makes for happy kids AND parents. The kids are happily playing in the pool for hours, and the parents are happily putting very tired children to bed at night!
With swimming season comes some important precautions. While none of us want to think about the dangers that come with having a pool, it is necessary. We always picture the fun, the splashing, the squeals of delight. But, these are only possible if your pool is a safe place for your children and others who come over to swim.
While it is difficult, please take a moment to read the following facts, so that you will understand why we wanted to include this blog on our website. According to the Florida Department of Health, in 2013, Florida had the highest rate of drowning for children ages one to four at a rate of 7.54 per 100,000. To put it in perspective, that is enough young lives lost to fill three to four preschool classrooms. Florida also had the second highest rate for ages one to fourteen at a rate of 2.54 per 100,000.
So, that was five years ago. How is Florida faring now? Sadly, as of 2017 (since 2018 is still in progress), Florida was still ranked as the state with the highest occurrence of drowning deaths for ages one to four. In Florida alone, there were fifty-one child deaths in pools or spas in 2017 which was actually a twenty percent spike, up from forty child deaths, in 2016. These were children ages fifteen and under with eighty percent under the age of five. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional deaths in ages one to four, nationwide. Ten people (children and/or adults) drown in the United States every day.
What are we to do with these heartbreaking statistics? The answer is simple. We are to do our part. There are laws in place here in the state of Florida that apply to backyard pools. Many people may be unaware of that. Our laws state that a pool MUST be enclosed by a barrier that is at least four feet high. What does this mean? If your backyard is fenced, that is considered a barrier if it is at least four feet high. This is to prevent outsiders from falling into or purposefully using your pool. This is designed to help prevent deaths or accidents, particularly without your knowledge. A fenced yard helps prevent strangers from going for a dip in your pool. Additionally, the barrier must have a space between it and your pool. In other words, if someone is to breach the barrier, it must be impossible for them to immediately fall right into the pool. There must be some space for them to get their footing.
At Tripod Aluminum, we care about our community. We are based in Melbourne and have been in the business of aluminum fencing for over twenty years. It is our desire to see you and your family have a wonderful and safe summer. While this wasn’t necessarily a “fun” blog, we know it was worthwhile sharing this information with you. Please come back soon because our next blog will tell you what we, at Tripod Aluminum, can do to help you with your pool safety! We’ll give you a hint: we are an aluminum fencing company, not a water wings manufacturer!