• You must put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool. This fence will completely separate the pool from the house and play area of the yard. Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children's reach.
   
• A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) adds to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool. Even fencing around your pool and using a power safety cover will not prevent drowning.
   
• Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd's hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool.
   
• Anyone watching young children around a pool should learn CPR and be able to rescue a child if needed. Stay within an arm's length of your child.
   
• Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren't tempted to reach for them.
   
• After the children are done swimming, secure the pool so they can't get back into it.
   
• Regularly check that the gate latches securely and that spring mechanisms work properly. Regularly oil the hinges and latches.
   
• Don't allow children to play in the pool area. Remove all toys, tricycles - anything a child might want to get - from the vicinity.
   
• Post CPR instructions and the 911 emergency number in the pool area.
   
• Keep lifesaving equipment, such as a pole, life preserver and rope - in the pool area. Hang them from the fence so people won't trip on them.
   

Have a phone handy to the pool area. Do not answer the phone while your children are in the pool; use the phone only to call 911 should a problem occur.

Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona