Pool Safety Tips - Children's Hospital Central California

9300 Valley Children’s Place
Emergency Department: FW 05
Madera, California 93636
Parents and Family Members,
Today your child heard a short lesson about water safety based on this coloring book. All of
the children were given a copy of the same coloring book to take home with the promise they would
tell YOU the story. Please take the time to sit down with them and hear what they learned about being
water safer.
You might be surprised to know that drowning is the number one cause of injury related
death to our Central Valley children 0-5 years. More of our kids will die from a water related injury
than from a car crash.
You might be wondering why
Did you know that a child can drown in as little as ONE inch of water We know that the vast
majority of moms and dads with children who have been involved in a water related injury are “good
parents”. It was not a lack of supervision, but a lapse in supervision. Please do not let this be you.
Learn how to keep your children and family safer around water.
During the hot summer months there is nothing better than to spend time outside in the pool,
whether it is an in-ground, above the ground, or a “kiddie” pool. All of these have been places where we
have seen children drown. The majority of drownings occur in swimming pools, usually at the child’s
own home or that of a relative.
However, we see drownings all year round, not just in the summer months. Pools are not the only
danger. Children also can drown in bathtubs, canals, lakes and rivers.
We need to practice water safety EVERY day to keep our children safe. Please read the last page
in this coloring book for more drowning prevention tips. For more water safety information visit the
Kohl’s Water Safety for Children’s Hospital webpage at
www.childrenscentralcal.org/services/community/watersafety. There is more information about water
safety, free downloads, as well as links to webpages of the Water Safety Council of Fresno County
and Safe Kids Central Valley of which Children’s Hospital is a contributing member. We also have
information on adult water safety classes. All of these are free of charge.
Please feel free to contact me if I can give you more information about keeping our kids water
safer! You can email or write to me at the hospital. If your child would like to send me a picture or letter
illustrating what they learned about water safety, I would love to hear from them (or you!)
Mary Jo Quintero
Children’s Hospital Central California
Emergency Department Pre-Hospital Liaison Nurse
Water Safety Program Coordinator
MQuintero@childrenscentralcal.org

Pool Safety Tips
Never leave children alone in or near a pool, not even for a moment.
Whenever infants or toddlers are in or around water, an adult should be within arm’s
length, providing “touch supervision”. Do not consider a child drown proof because
they have had swimming lessons.
Enclose your pool on all four sides with a fence or barrier that it at least 5 feet tall,
making sure there are no foot or handholds that could help a young child to climb it.
It is best if the house is not one side of the barrier. However, if it is…then doors leading
from the house to the pool should be protected with an alarm that produces an audible
sound when a door is unexpectedly opened. All gate entrances to the pool should be
self-closing and self-latching.
Remember that these barriers are not child proof, but they provide layers of protection
for a child who strays from supervision. Barriers give parents additional time to locate
a child before the unexpected becomes a reality.
Toys are toys…they should not be thought of as life preservers to keep the child afloat.
Remove toys from in and around the pool when it is not in use.Toys can attract young
children to the pool.
Be careful with children using “floaties”, “water wings” or “swimmies”. (See the
drawing on the opposite page.) Remember: These are not life preservers…they can give
a false sense of security to the child and parent. Life preservers will have “Approved by
the Coast Guard as a Personal Flotation Device (PFD)” printed on the vest. If it doesn’t
say these words, it is not a PFD.
During a social event, appoint a “designated watcher” to protect young children from
pool accidents. Adults may take turns being the “watcher”. When adults become
preoccupied, children are at risk. Older siblings should not be asked to watch younger
children in the water. They are neither trained nor mature enough to be given such an
ADULT responsibility.
Learn CPR. Know what to do in an emergency, starting with a call to 9-1-1.
If a child is missing, check the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom and surface, as well as the
pool area.

9300 Valley Children’s Place
Madera, California 93636-8762
559.353.3000
ChildrensCentralCal.org/KohlsWaterSafety
Artwork by John Quintero