Pool Common Sense Guidelines

1. Make sure everyone in your family knows how to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim-this includes adults and children. So enroll your kids (or yourself!) in swimming lessons taught by qualified instructors.
   
   
2. Never swim alone or permit anyone else to swim alone. Even an "expert" swimmer can have an accident that may lead to drowning.
   
   
3. Never leave a child alone - even for a few moments just to answer the phone or get a towel. If you must leave, take the child with you.
   
   
4. Don't push or jump on others. Even the friendliest "dunking" game is dangerous.
   
   
5. Don't dive into unknown waters. Enter the pool feet first to avoid hitting your head on shallow bottom.
   
   
6. Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It can save someone's life.
   
   
7. Set up a "Safety Post" with lifesaving equipment and emergency numbers. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.)
   
   
8. Keep the pool covered and all toys away from the pool when you're not using it. Toys can attract young children to the edge of the pool where they could fall in.
   
   
9. Post - and follow - your own "pool rules."
   
   
10. Make sure neighbors and their children know the pool is strictly "off-limits," unless supervised by you or another designated adult.
    
    These pages are dedicated to the memory of John Colloton.