Protecting Tots Around Pools : Drowning Is the No. 1 Cause of Child Deaths Under Age 5

Jason Pocock’s mother was on the telephone. It was only for a moment, but it gave the 2-year-old Vista toddler time to slip out of the house, climb over two, 3-foot high gates, lift the cover of the family hot tub and fall in.

Cheryl Pocock does not remember how long she was on the phone before she noticed Jason wasn’t where he was supposed to be that evening last December, but she said she can never forgot how she found him.

“I saw the hot tub cover was half open. I didn’t even want to admit he could be in there,” Pocock recalled. “When I found him, he was unconscious, he was blue, he was choking because he aspirated water, and I couldn’t find a pulse.”

Pocock immediately began performing infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Jason, a procedure she had learned at Tri-City Medical Center when her son was born with respiratory problems. She simultaneously reached for the portable phone she always kept pool-side and dialed 911.

Those two things--Pocock’s knowledge of CPR, and the quick access to a telephone--saved Jason’s life. Within a couple of breaths, Pocock had her son breathing on his own, and the paramedics arrived soon after, whisking Jason away to be taken by Life Flight to Children’s Hospital.

Jason spent two days and two nights in Children’s before doctors pronounced him well enough to return home to his parents. He is one of the lucky ones.

Still, the danger hasn’t really passed.

As soon as Jason came home from the hospital, he wanted to go back in the water. Doctors told Pocock that many near drowning victims are repeat offenders.

“I have always watched Jason, but now I watch him like a hawk,” Pocock said. “I have a vision of my son so close to death, and to me, I don’t need anymore warning. That image will always be with me.”

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 5. It also is 100% preventable.

However, since the beginning of this year, 11 children under the age of 14 have already died in pool and spa accidents around the county. Drowning deaths last year totaled 37, according to the county coroner’s office.

Drownings are also very age- and sex-specific, said Bob Olander, a member of the National Drowning Prevention Network and general manager of Protect A Child Pool Fence Co. More than 90% of child drowning victims are between 1 and 5 years old, and 70% of those are 2-to 3-year-old males.

Drownings can occur in less than two minutes and in less than a puddle. Recently, in San Diego County, a child drowned in a bucket of cleaning solution.

“It only takes 2 inches of water and a few moments for that tragedy to happen,” said Linda Gilstrap, community education coordinator for the Water Safety Coalition in San Diego. “If I hear one thing from these parents, I hear, ‘I only left for a minute,’ ‘I just went to answer the door.’ ”

“It can’t be emphasized enough, never ever leave your child alone,” Gilstrap said. “That one second you leave them alone, you could be left with a lifetime of tragedy.”

Safety advocates often disagree on what drowning prevention measures work best, but they do agree that not just one, but several layers of protection are needed. The most important one is always close supervision.

“Fences, covers, alarms, locks on sliding glass doors, these are things that can buy you precious moments in a recovery of a child who has gotten into a pool,” Gilstrap said. “But, even if you have them, don’t be overconfident. You still have to maintain the attitude that this is only going to help, but it will not prevent an accident.”

Olander said families who are considering installing a pool should wait until their children are over 5 years old. Gilstrap said education and public awareness are the only line of defense.

FENCING

In San Diego County, all pool owners who live on less than an acre of land are required to have a fence surrounding their property but not necessarily around their pool. However, considering that most drowning victims are children who die in their own pool or spa, a fence around the property offers no real protection except for neighborhood children.

There are many types of fencing materials on the market, but some are definitely not appropriate where child safety is concerned. Chain-link and wood fences are not considered safe because they can be easily climbed, even by a 5-year-old.

Wrought iron is a popular choice for safety fencing, but it should meet some specific requirements. Slats should be vertical and at least 5 feet high. Because the head of an average 5-year-old is about 4 inches wide, slats should be placed less than 3 3/4 inches apart to prevent a child from squeezing his head through. Slats should also be free of any ornamentation that a child might be able to climb.

A wrought iron fence, which can be installed in less than a day, averages about $12 per foot, with gates starting at about $75.

Another type of fence that was designed strictly with toddler safety in mind is the nylon mesh fence. The tightly woven nylon looks like a screen door--it is transparent--but is a thousand times thicker.

Packaged in 12-foot sections that are wound like a bolt of cloth, the mesh fence comes 3 1/2 or 4 feet high. The sections are stretched over aluminum poles that are placed at 3-foot intervals around the pool and drilled 3 inches into the ground. This prevents anything or anyone from slipping or crawling underneath the mesh.

The fence has no gate to contend with because each 12-foot section is chained together with safety latches. Two hands are required to unfasten these latches, and then a panel of the fence is simply folded back to allow access to the pool.

The fence is set back 18 inches from the pool edge.

The mesh fence has the added benefits of being weather-resistant, impervious to rips and snags and easy to dismantle. It can be taken down in less than 10 minutes to accommodate pool parties where children aren’t present. Its smooth, tight weave doesn’t provide a foothold for tiny feet, and it is soft enough not to injure a small child who might fall against it.

The average cost of a nylon mesh fence, which can be installed in one day, ranges from $1,000 to $2,000.

The safest fence is the fence that encloses the pool entirely. To minimize traffic in a pool area, fencing should be as close as 24 inches off the edge of the pool. A fence should also have a gate that opens outward so a child pushing against it will close it. However, it is not wise to assume that a child will push instead of pull. The safest gate is one that requires an adult to physically lock and unlock it each time it is used. Any latching mechanism should be on top of the gate out of a child’s reach.

POOL AND SPA COVERS

There are no state or federal laws regulating the safety specifications of pool and spa covers. In fact, there are many types of solar and manual covers that don’t attach to the sides of a pool and can actually be death traps. Not only is a child who slips underneath a cover unseen by a potential rescuer, the cover prevents the child from being able to climb out of the water.

Last year, the Consumer Product and Safety Commission established criteria for a safety cover. A true safety cover must be able to support the weight of two adults and one child, and be able to attach to the perimeter of the pool to prevent anyone from slipping underneath. Safety covers must also be equipped with an automatic pump that drains off any rainwater that may collect on top.

Most safety covers fit regular and irregular-shaped pools and operate manually or automatically. A motorized cover operates on a two-track system and extends the length and width of the pool when closed and recedes almost completely when open. Because an automatic cover is activated by just the turn of a key or the push of a button, people tend to use them more often. With a manual system, the cover is both opened and closed by a hand crank or is snapped on and off.

Safety covers are made of many materials, but the strongest and most popular is vinyl laminated over a polyester mesh.

A fully automatic safety cover ranges in price from $5,000 to $6,000 and can be installed in a day. A manual cover ranges from $2,000 to $3,000.

For spas and hot tubs, safety advocates suggest a hard cover that physically clips to the ground and is equipped with child-proof locks. The Admiral Aluminum spa cover can support up to 300 pounds, locks with a special key, and is a popular model sold by most spa dealers. A custom-made cover costs $400 to $600.

ALARMS

There are three types of pool alarms on the market, but safety advocates recommend their use only as a backup to other layers of protection. Pool alarms float on top of the water and sound a loud signal when they detect movement on the water’s surface. This kind of alarm is extremely sensitive, however, and one of its drawbacks is that it is frequently triggered by wind or leaves falling into the pool.

A new alarm on the market is one that detects movement below the water’s surface. These do not sound every time the wind blows, but sometimes they don’t sound at all, even when a relatively heavy object, such as a child, falls into the water.

A third kind of alarm is a water-sensitive bracelet that is worn by the child. When the bracelet gets wet, an alarm goes off. Safety advocates say there have been some manufacturing problems with these aquatic sensors, and they should not be considered reliable protection.

Pool alarms range from $80 to $150 and can be installed in one day.

LOCKS

More than 80% of all drownings occur after the child was last seen in the house and where the window of opportunity was less than 10 minutes, said Bob Olander of Protect A Child Pool Fence Co.

“Typically what happens is a child will slip out of the house through a door that the parent or guardian assumes is locked, get into the back yard and head straight for the pool,” he said.

All exits leading to the pool or spa--sliding glass doors and windows included--should be secured with a deadbolt or child-proof locks. These locks should be up high and out of reach of a child.

SWIMMING LESSONS

Parents are lulling themselves into a false sense of security if they think swimming lessons are a measure of safety for their children under 3 years old, said Linda Gilstrap of the Water Safety Coalition. When young children fall into a pool or spa, they are stunned and have little if any ability to deal with a crisis like that, she said. However, children over 3 years old do benefit from swimming lessons and are more likely to retain the information, Gilstrap said.

TIME SAVERS

Even under the best conditions--with all the barriers in place--the worst scenario can and sometimes does happen. But there are still some added measures that can be taken to save a child once he or she has fallen into the water.

A phone installed near the pool area can save precious seconds in calling for help. The time saved could mean the difference between life and death or severe brain damage.

All members of the family should know cardiopulmonary resuscitation. One parent knowing CPR is not enough, as Cheryl Pocock attests.

“My husband knows adult CPR and is very comfortable with it, but he wasn’t home when Jason fell in the hot tub,” Pocock said. “If one adult knows CPR, it’s still not enough. Anybody who watches kids should have to know it.”

The Red Cross and many local hospitals offer CPR classes for little or no fee. Depending on the age of the children in the home, parents should learn infant or child CPR because the technique vastly differs from adult CPR. Infant CPR is for children ages 0-3 years, and child CPR specifically covers children ages 3-9 years. Most classes take eight hours and, once trained, parents should take a refresher course every year.

Drowning-Prevention Tips for Families With Pools

Kid-proofing your pool means constructing several layers of protection

SAFETY COVERS

1. A child can slip unnoticed under a normal solar cover. A safety cover, on the other hand, attaches in some way around the perimeter of the pool. The cover should be strong enough to support the weight of at least two adults. Since a child can drown in as little as two inches of water, some kind of pumping device is needed to remove rain or sprinkler water that collects on the cover’s surface.

2. Enclose the pool completely--most drownings occur when children wander out of the back door of their own house. The fencing should be made if plain wrought iron--children can use embellishments for climbing. Fencing should be at least five feet high; bars should be no less than four inches apart. Gap where fence meets garden wall should not be wider than four inches. Include as little as possible within the fencing. Access to bar-becue pit, pool supplies, etc. increase adult traffic, thereby increasing the odds of the gate being accidently left open.

3. Gates should open outward and should be self-closing and self-latching beyond a child’s reach.

AUXILIARY SAFETY

4. Secure all doors leading to the pool area with childproof locks and latches. Inexpensive sound alters, available at hardware stores, give off an alarm when a door is opened.

5. A telephone extension in the patio area can save precious seconds during an emergency.

6. Learn CPR.