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Despite recent drowning deaths across the state, some parents continue to have a relaxed attitude toward their children’s water safety according to St George Pool manager Trish Kennedy.
“I’ve seen blasé parents talking away to someone and not watching where their little kids are. One parent left their four or five-year-old in the little pool while they went to do a lap (in the main pool).”
“A child can drown in a cat container.”
Trish said it can take just seconds for disaster once a child gets a mouthful of water and cannot get their head above water.
“Toddlers do not have the coordination and stability to get their footing if they fall over in the water. It only takes a short amount of time without oxygen before brain damage is caused.”
One lifeguard and a pool kiosk attendant are on duty at all times, but Trish puts on a second lifeguard when child members reach around 30.
However she said the pool was not a baby sitting service and parents needed to take responsibility for their own children.
“Parents think nothing is going to happen. How can they be so complacent? You can turn your back for a second and they’re gone.”
Under the St George Pool Supervision Rules, children under 10 years old will not be allowed entry unless they are under the active supervision of a person 18 years or older.
If children are 10 and older and not competent swimmers, parents must take a role in supervision.
* Parental or guardian supervision is in addition to an in no way replaces lifeguard supervision.
* Parents and guardians must actively supervise their charges at all times and should be ready to take action including unexpected entry into the pool.
* For 0 to 5 year-olds, a parent must be in the water at all times, within arm’s reach of the children.
* For six to 10-year-oldws, a parent or guardian should be close enough to make eye and voice contact and constantly watched.
There has been a horrifying number of drowning incidents in Queensland in recent weeks including a five-year-old girl who was found face down and unconscious in the Goodna Aquatic Centre pool on November 9. She died two days later.
The girl had finished swimming with her father when she wandered away from him. A pool staff member pulled the unconscious girl from the 1.2m deep pool and performed CPR and gave her oxygen until paramedics arrived.
Paramedics performed CPR on the way to the Mater Children’s Hospital. At the same pool four years ago, a three-year-old drowned.
The incident happened a day after a five-year-old boy was found unconscious on the bottom of a pool at Newmarket in Brisbane. He had been with friends in the wading pool but moved to the Olympic pool unnoticed.
He was found on the bottom of the deep end of the pool in the shadow of an inflatable water slide.
The boy was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital where he was placed on life-support, but died last Thursday night.
At Pittsworth, an 11-year-old girl spent 10 days in the Mater Children’s Hospital after she was found unconscious in the Pittsworth Pool on October 25.
Royal Life Saving urges all Australians to check their backyard swimming pools as the latest figures show that in the past 12 months 32 young children aged 0-4 died in preventable drowning tragedies.
59 per cent of the deaths were in swimming pools, 84 per cent of the children fell or wandered into water and 41 per cent of the deaths happened during summer.
On top of the toddler drowning deaths that take place each year, there are many more near drowning incidents where children may suffer brain damage as a result of the incident.
Royal Life Saving says for every drowning death there are around four hospitalisations. Of those, one or two will have permanent brain damage.
Royal Life Saving CEO Rob Bradley said thousands of pools are potential death traps because of loose, unsafe fencing or fence gates that are not working properly.
He highlights home swimming pools are the most dangerous aquatic locations for young children. In the past 12 months toddler drowning deaths in Australia have risen dramatically against the five year average.
Rob Bradley said one of the big problems is that people may think their pool fencing is perfectly safe when in fact erosion, storm damage or wear and tear may well have created weakness in the fencing. He also warns many people leave pool gates propped open or have gates that close but do not lock. He says both these issues can potentially lead to tragedy.
Swimming pool fences should be no more than 100 millimetres from the ground and should be at least 1.2 metres high with no vertical gaps more than 100 millimetres apart.
A major survey undertaken by Choice magazine revealed that out of 31 pool fencing materials, 18 did not meet Australian safety standards.
“Defective fencing is so dangerous and you may not see the problem until tragedy strikes,”
Mr Bradley said.
“We can’t afford to be complacent. Run the safety checks. Any vegetation growing around a pool should be cut back because young, curious kids often use this to climb into a pool.”
“Always make sure pool chemicals are stored securely out of reach of children. We have no doubt people underestimate the dangers around a home pool. All pools in Australia have to be fenced. It’s a legal requirement.”
“On rural properties it isn’t realistic to fence off a dam or lake. We suggest creating a child safe area near to your home and away from the body of water which needs to be enclosed and supervised at all times.”
The website homepoolsafety.com.au provides a checklist and tips for pool owners.
“It’s been a horror year in the past 12 months for drowning deaths and a real wake up call,” Mr Bradley said.
“We urge the community to be vigilant because there’s such a massive impact on all the parents, relatives and friends left behind after each drowning tragedy.”
“Obviously we want people to have fun. Time spent in water helps children physical and intellectual development and obviously the ability to safely enjoy water benefits us throughout our life.”
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