Following pool safety tips can ensure fun water experiences

Jun. 13—Whether the kids are heading for a swim at Krug Pool, the St. Joseph Aquatic Center or even just the backyard pool this summer, it's important to make water safety a top priority.

Frank Till, executive director of the St Joseph Safety and Health Council, said every year, multiple children die from accidental pool drownings and it's up to parents to take cautionary measures to ensure safety.

"Probably the most important thing we can do is make sure we have a fence around our pool," Till said.

This is something the city requires for pool owners. For young children, parents should also make sure all doors are locked that lead to the outside pool area. For extra security, consider putting motion cameras up to monitor the area.

"They now actually make an alarm that goes in the pool. So if a child would fall in the pool and you'd be made aware of it," Till said.

A lack of supervision is considered one of the most common reasons for pool accidents.

"If you are at the pool with a child under the age of 13, you need to be watching them ... So many kids drowning are easily preventable because if you're a parent you can pull them up," said lifeguard Maesyn Jones.

Other reasons for accidents, according to Jones, include running, failing to listen to the lifeguards and forgetting to drink water.

When monitoring the pools, Jones said they look for a lack of horizontal swimming progress as well as other signs.

"If you're struggling to keep your face above water and your head tilted up and you're just bobbing up and down," Jones said.

She advises against any underwater breath-holding contests since it can be hard for lifeguards to distinguish if there is actually something wrong.

Local parent Madison McCollum uses a number of tips for her big family. She puts her kids in brightly colored swimwear to create a colorful contrast in the water. As a mother of five, McCollum pairs her older kids with the younger ones so everyone is accounted for.

She said pool safety starts at home by ensuring that kids know that even an inch of water can be fatal.

"We play a lot in the bath. My kids are all water babies. So just seeing what can happen when you dunk your face too far in the bathtub has taught them a lot," McCollum said.

To lessen pool safety concerns, Jones and Till recommend putting your child in swimming lessons.

"If they can't swim, then we need to have a flotation device on them," Till said. "It just takes seconds before something seriously bad can happen."

Parents should make sure that each flotation device is catered to this child's age, size and weight.