TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Summer is quickly approaching which means swimmers of all ages will be flocking to the pools. While swimming is fun for everyone, it's very important to remember that safety comes first.
Whether you have a pool of your own, or use the community pool, teaching your children to swim, especially at an early age, is one of the best things you can do for them. This is especially important because if a young child accidentally falls into a pool, they are less likely to panic and more likely to swim themselves out.
Of course, one of the biggest things that can help keep children safe around any kind of pool is knowing how to swim, and the City of Tallahassee offers those lessons all summer for children of all ages.
For those who have pools in their backyard, it's strongly recommended that a fence is built around it to ensure children don't accidentally wander too close to the edge.
Of course supervision is important, especially for the younger and weaker swimmers. This makes sure that as a parent, you're ready to jump in to help your child out of any danger.
It's also suggested that parents of those weaker and younger swimmers should learn CPR.
"What you can do to help yourself out as a parent is you can learn CPR, so that you have that lifesaving capability as the parent to make sure your child can have the best chance to survive," says Officer David Northway, the Tallahassee Police Department's Public Information Officer.
When it comes to community pools, each one will have a set of rules in place to make sure everyone, especially the younger children stay safe.
The Trousdell Aquatics Center, asks that parents stay within arms reach of their younger children and even offer life jackets to make sure that these young swimmers stay safe. Safety for the aquatics center doesn't stop there for kids either. In fact, they encourage children to have a rest break while swimming.
"Every hour, on the hour, we have a ten minute rest break," says Leslie Adams, the Aquatics Supervisor at the Trousdell Aquatics Center. "That's to encourage swimmers, it's for minors. All children do have to exit the pool for ten minutes. Adults don't, but children do so they get a time to rest because they don't always know when they've exerted themselves too much in the pool because they're having so much fun."
Whether you're swimming at home or in a public pool, following these tips ensures that everyone, both young and old, stays safe this summer.
