Tess Langfus, Contributing Writer

About 25 years ago, the pool industry embraced the need to protect children and adults from pool injuries and death rather than ignore the dangers for fear of drop in sales.

Together with the CPSC and other organizations, the National Spa & Pool Institute, a conglomerate of about 5,600 spa and pool affiliates, continuously develops standards in the industry and educates consumers on pool safety.

The most recent standards identified layers of protection available to assist homeowners in maintaining a safe swimming environment. People were told the benefits of added safety barriers such as fences, pool covers and alarms.

Perhaps these standards and increased public knowledge played a part in the fact that, although the number of deaths has remained fairly constant over the last several years, the percentage of children drowning has actually decreased in relation to the growing number of pools built every year, an average of 350,000.

Pool Fences And Automatic Covers

Most municipalities require pool owners to install self-closing and self-latching fences that are at least 4 feet high with no foot- or handholds and narrow enough to prohibit children from passing through. If the fence is attached to the home, avoid entry into the pool area through the garage. Also consider building the fence no less than 4 feet from the edge of the pool to allow enough room for two people to pass.

Homeowners should inspect their fences at least yearly to ensure the self-latching device functions properly, recommends Jeff Grotte, owner of poolguy.com in Maple Grove, Minn., and member of the American Fence Association.

Especially in northern climates where frost and freezing temperatures are an issue, fence footings can get misaligned, disabling the latching device. When installing the fence dig the posts 4 to 5 feet into the ground to help alleviate misalignment.

Each community has its own stipulations regarding how to enclose the pool. In some areas the house can be used as the fourth barrier of a three-sided fence. In other communities a four-sided fence must completely separate the pool from the house, a recommendation made by both the CPSC and AAP, and backed by AAP's 1993 report that a fully enclosed pool "has been shown to decrease the number of pool immersion injuries by more than 50 percent."

Portable fences can also provide temporary security in areas where fences are not mandatory. These sturdy nylon woven mesh structures are fitted into holes around the deck to temporarily, or permanently, enclose the pool. Of course, CPSC advises pool owners to always keep a fence in place if there is even the slightest chance of children nearing the pool area.

Besides installing a fence, Grotte encourages all his clients to invest in automatic pool covers, which he considers the safest pool device on the market.

"I sleep well every night because I know that my pools are completely covered," he says. "If I had my way, every pool in the world would have an automatic pool cover."

However, an improperly used pool cover can be an added threat to a child's safety. If the cover is not fully closed, Bull warns, children can get trapped under the heavy material.

And while strong enough to hold several adults, a closed cover can pose a safety threat after a rain shower or if water is sprayed on the cover. Even a couple inches of accumulated water on the closed cover can drown an infant or toddler.

Alarm Devices

Alarms and infrared detectors offer pool owners another layer of protection. Each of these devices are developed to assist adults in supervising their young children, but again, none are designed to replace human supervision. Waiting until an alarm sounds may be too late.

Of the three types of alarms, the systems installed in doorways, windows and gates are perhaps the most effective. The alarm is placed high enough so a child cannot reach it, but adults can simply push a trigger to bypass the system when using the passageway. The alarm automatically resets until the next time the door is opened.

Other types of alarms can be placed in or near the pool to monitor when a person, animal or object has entered the water or pool area. Probes resting on the water's surface or submerged in the pool will set off an alarm if a wave or a splash is detected. Beam systems installed around the parimeter of the pool will set off an alarm if the path is crossed. Wristbands that are electronically connected to a base unit will sound if submerged in water.

In May 2000, the Division for Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission tested the effectiveness of the various water alarms systems.

According to the report, the submerged alarm devices, which sound when waves are detected underwater, were the most precise. Alarm devices designed to float on the water were the least accurate and set off more false alarms when tested under rainy and windy conditions.

The wristbands proved nearly as accurate as the submerged alarms, but when submerged under running tap water, as during hand washings, the alarm also sounded. None of the tests included waterfalls, which, Kerr says, also triggers false alarms because of the constant rippling water.

Read More On Pool Safety:

• Watch Your Children
• Toys May Be Hidden Hazards
• Pool Safety Precautions

Additional Resources:

• National Spa & Pool Institute, (800) 323-3996
• American Academy Of Pediatrics
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission