11 Pool Safety Tips to Keep Your Kids Away From Drowning

According to WHO drowning is the leading cause of unintentional deaths in children. As per the WHO report, more than 320,000 children die every year due to drowning. It is undeniably a matter of concern among parents. Any parent would want to protect their children from all potential dangers, including drowning. Drowning can happen in the blink of an eye; therefore, parents and guardians must understand how to keep their children safe from drowning and must know about pool safety tips.

Here is a list of the top 11 drowning pool safety tips

  • Never leave a child alone in or around a pool, whether it’s an inflatable pool or another type of children’s pool. An adult should be within the arm’s reach of babies and toddlers, offering constant supervision. An adult should be paying consistent attention to older kids and be free of distractions. The adult in charge must be able to swim. 

Note: Having Lifeguard training is great to have around in an emergency, but they are accountable for many youngsters at once. Always supervise your children, or make sure a responsible adult watches them at your request.

  • Children of all ages must take swimming lessons from a professional. Teaching your child to swim, on the other hand, does not guarantee that they will be safe in the water.
  • Always make sure that there is a phone near the pool as it will be a great help in case there is an emergency. 
  • Pool toys should never be left near a pool. Pool toys are pretty light and can easily be blown into the pool. When the wind pushes them into pools, children may jump in to retrieve them. This can be a cause of pool drowning the children. 
  • If you’re using an inflatable or plastic pool for your child, make sure to empty it after each usage and turn it upside down when you’re done.
  • Ensure that you install a fence at least four feet high around all four sides of your pool. Pool coverings and pool alarms are not a viable alternative to pool fencing. Please make sure the fence gates self-close and latch at a height where little children can’t reach them.
  • You must know rescue equipment, such as a shepherd’s hook (a long pole with a hook on end) and a life preserver. This equipment must be in a pool to avoid any emergency. 
  • For young children, inflatable swimming aids such as “floaties” should be avoided. They’re not an alternative to certified life jackets, and they might give kids a false sense of security.
  • Always advise the children not to run, push, or jump on others when around water.
  • Children should never swim alone or dive into water of unknown depth.
  • Educate teenagers that drinking alcohol increases their chances of drowning.

Final thought

A lifeguard is an essential member of our society since they are responsible for the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports enthusiasts. However, if you wish to work as a lifeguard, you must first finish the Bronze Medallion WA and Grey Medallion WA courses required for all lifeguards in Australia.
If you need training or services from the finest professionals in Australia, West Coast Water Safety is the best aquatic safety training academy to go to. Our Bronze Medallion WA course will be a great help if you desire the profession of a lifeguard.

Life Jacket Safety: Do Life Jackets Expire?

Life jackets are life saviors. They are used to provide safety in deep seas and help to float on water. They are designed to turn your face up and prevent us from drowning automatically. Aquatic play leaders use life jackets as a personal rescue device. They are a major part of water safety.

Understanding the safety device

Life Jackets

All the life savior jackets are designed to operate automatically when you fall into deep water. Life jacket safety lights are sealed water-activated battery lights that help operate the bulbs in life jackets. This helps the rescue teams to spot you and reach you at night.

The life jacket is made up of nylon or vinyl material. There are three classifications for the substances inside a life jacket. They are:-

  1. Inherently buoyant 

In this type, material from a tropical tree was used in the olden days. The jackets are filled with plastic forms such as polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene.

  1. Inflatable

They contain cartridges filled with carbon dioxide. When activated, the gas will be filled inside the chambers. Some inflatable models will have a tab to activate them.

  1. Hybrid

It is a combination of natural buoyant and manual inflation. It is independent of the weight of the person. It will hold the person and float in the water.

Types of life jackets

  1. Open water life jacket
  2. Inshore water personal floatation device
  3. Buoyancy vest
  4. Throwable device
  5. Specialist personal floatation device

Features

  1. Life jackets are available in different sizes.
  2. Lightweight material makes it comfortable to wear them
  3. Keeps us floating in water irrespective of the weight of a person

What is the life of a life jacket?

There is no expiry date for life jackets. It is just a personal flotation device. If it gets torn or altered, it can be repaired and can last a lifetime.

Life jacket safety tips

  1. Aquatic rescue leaders must ensure that everybody wears a life jacket before participating in any water activities.
  2. One should check whether the life jackets are in good condition, with no holes or tears.
  3. Underwater laboratories should test it.
  4. It is very important to choose the right jackets for a person according to their height and weight.
  5. Give necessary instructions to the people on how to use them and the proper way to wear life jackets.
  6. While cleaning life jackets, don’t use harsh detergents. This will weaken the fabric.
  7. Keep them dry after every use, but do not use dryers or radiation to dry them.

Rescue retrieval method

Life jacket lift

This is the quickest rescue retrieval method used by aquatic rescue play leaders. The weight of the person and the strength of the lifter also matter. Life jacket fitting also should be considered while lifting.


Life jackets are designed on the principle of prevention is better than cure. The best and easiest method preferred by the Aquatic rescue play leaders is the usage of life jackets. They play a very important role in saving lives in water, and you must use the best quality life jackets to ensure maximum safety.