Observing Water Safety is VERY important for kids and adults alike. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to make sure that the backyard pool is a safe place for children, grandchildren, neighbor's youngsters and visiting little ones.

Following are some Cool Pool Rules that will keep every swim fun and safe.

• Never leave a small child in the pool area unattended. During social gatherings, never assume someone else is watching your child. Appoint a designated "watcher" to be sure. If you must entrust your child to the care of someone else, make sure that person knows what to do in an emergency and is physically able to respond.
• Surround your pool with a four-sided safety fence, at least 4 feet high, that completely isolates your pool from both house and yard. Many people have their yards fenced. Many also have screen enclosures around their pool deck. But for safety's sake, you must have an additional barrier of protection between the doorways leading from the house and the water in the pool.
• Make sure fence gates into the pool area are self-closing and self-latching. Each gate should be well maintained so that it closes and latches easily, and the latch should be positioned up above a child's reach.
• Install alarms on all doors leading to pool area. A wide variety of door alarms are available that can be temporarily turned off by an adult passing through with a button or key pad installed out of a child's reach. But the door should produce an audible signal if it is opened unexpectedly.
• Keep a cordless phone at poolside. Often a lapse of supervision can occur when a caregiver dashes into the house to take a call. Keep a phone by the pool, so you can answer your calls without leaving the area. Should a water immersion incident occur in your pool, a poolside phone can save precious time in calling 9-1-1, and will allow you to receive the pre-arrival instructions right at poolside.
  Learn to Swim. It's the best thing you can do for both adults and children to stay safe around the water. Contact the City of Tampa Recreation Department to sign up for swimming lessons. Call 274 -7725 Mike Metziere for more information.
• Learn CPR. Restoring breathing and heartbeat of a submersion victim is critical when waiting for the paramedics to arrive. The American Red Cross Association does training in this procedure.
• Tampa Fire Rescue will come out to your home and conduct free, safety check-ups of your backyard pool and patio area. You won't be penalized if they find any hazards, and you won't be forced to make any corrections you don't want. These inspections simply serve to provide suggested ways of making your pool area safe, ideas you might not have thought of on your own. Call us at 813-274-8241/8240 for more details or contact us via the Customer Service Center. 

Remember, poolside fun is practically a year-round activity here in Tampa. Let's make sure it's a safe activity as well, with layers of protection and constant supervision around your backyard pool.