Let's talk pool safety...
Essentially, there are four types of safety equipment worth considering:
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A perimeter safety fence,
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a sophisticated pool-alarm system,
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a winter safety cover (mesh cover),
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an automatic safety cover.
As strong advocates of pool safety, PCS recommends multiple layers of protection,
but PCS also feels a responsibility to inform consumers that all “layers of protection”
are not equal, so if you are considering one or more of these safety options, here are
some facts you should know:
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Fences provide a substantial degree of protection in that they, at least, slow down
an inquisitive five-year-old who has made up his mind to access the pool by stacking
furniture, using a device to “flip” a gate latch, or finding some other creative
way to get to a pool, but the two biggest problems associated with this type of barrier
are that a fence isolates the pool deck, not the water itself and, from a distance,
it may be impossible to tell whether a partially closed gate is actually latched.
In addition, if your house is the fourth side of your pool fence, the fence
may help too.
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Sophisticated Pool Alarms that utilize infra-red technology and sound a warning
when an object disturbs the surface of the water, certainly help, but false alarms
are common and drowning statistics reveal a couple of frightening facts:
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it only takes seconds for a child to drown and
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in the majority of instances, the time in which drowning victims five years of age and under
were away from adult supervision was less than five minutes.
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Winter safety covers may provide excellent barrier protection during the winter
because they isolate the water, not just the pool area. Unfortunately, the time
it takes to put a winter safety cover in place makes this option very inconvenient
for daily, in-season use. Consequently, during the swim season, they are not a
practical solution to securing a pool.
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Automatic covers, sometimes referred to as “horizontal fences" provide the best
level of protection in that they:
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isolate the water,
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support the weight of several adults, and
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can be extended in seconds.
In addition, unlike a partially-closed gate, from a considerable distance, it is
possible to observe whether or not an automatic cover has been fully extended over
a pool. And since an automatic cover isolates (hides) the water from view, the natural
attraction that water poses to most children is eliminated. How effective
is an automatic cover? To our knowledge, although hundreds of thousands of
automatic covers have been installed, there has been no recorded incident of a child drowning
in a pool protected by an A.S.T.M certified, functional automatic cover system.
That's a perfect safety record!
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