(Don t) leave them kids alone at the kiddie pool

Yay! Summer arrived today which means many kids are eager to cool off in a backyard pool. A new study, however, warns that even portable pools can pose a significant drowning risk. Published in Monday s issue of Pediatrics, the study conducted by researchers from the Nationwide Children s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and Independent Safety Consulting in Rockville, Maryland estimates that a child drowns every five summer days in a portable pool (from small wading pools less than 18 inches deep to inflatable pools and other soft-sided pools reaching depths of four feet). Between 2001 and 2009, 209 deaths and 35 near-drownings occurred among children under the age of 12, with over 9 out of ten of the cases affecting children under the age of five. More than half of the cases occurred when children were not supervised by adults.

Further disturbing news was that CPR was administered in only 15 percent of the fatalities before the arrival of emergency services. Susan Baker, a professor at the John Hopkins Center for Injury Research & Policy who was not involved in the study, believes the data are a reminder that every one of us ought to be knowledgeable about how to do CPR and willing to jump in and do it immediately and suggests adding the requirement of CPR training to high school curricula.

The Association of Pool & Spa professionals recommends constant, uninterrupted adult supervision to prevent drowning and other pool accidents. The study found that children were supervised by adults in only 43 percent of the drowning and near-fatalities, although adults were at home 73 percent of the time. As a former lifeguard, this writer would also like to remind parents that, when supervising your children s swim time, it is critical that you avoid distractions like phone calls, reading, or socializing with friends. If there are multiple adults around, you can assign another adult to monitor the pool while you take a phone call or grab something from the house.

Among other simple solutions: Empty the pool when it s not in use and ensure that children have no access when it is full, including removing any ladders or nearby objects that may provide access to little climbers. But there is no substitute for constant adult vigilance even a few minutes of distraction, via cellphone or beach-type reading, can lead to tragedy.