By Anessa V. Cohen

We are finally at the fun time of the year, when the weather is great and the worst complaint we can voice is that it is too hot or too humid–certainly better than complaining about snow, ice, and the need to bundle up with layers of jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, boots, and heavy socks. Now is the time when you plan that great vacation or sit back and enjoy your swimming pool or the nearby beach.

Summer safety is an important topic to bring up each year. Now that we are pulling out the swimwear and beach gear and getting ready to enjoy the water and sun, we must make sure we have safeguards in place for ourselves and our kids–both for the swimming pool and the beach–so our enjoyment is safe from any tragedy, G-d forbid.

Some of the top safety tips this year come from an assortment of organizations.

  • Educate your children about the dangers of drain entanglement and entrapment and teach them never to play or swim near drains or suction outlets. (The greatest risk of entrapment are children’s public wading pools, in-ground hot tubs, or any other pools with “flat” drain gates and/or a single main drain system.)
  • Whether swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake, children should swim with a partner every time.
  • Teach children how to swim as soon as possible! Every child is different, so enroll children in swim lessons when they are ready. Consider their age, development, and how often they are around water. Make sure they have these five water-survival skills and are able to:

o    Step or jump into water over their heads and return to the surface

o    Float or tread water for one minute

o    Turn around in a full circle and find an exit

o    Swim 25 yards to exit the water; and

o    Exit the water. If in a pool be able to exit without using the ladder

  • Watch kids when they are in or around the water, without being distracted. Keep young children within arm’s reach of an adult.
  • Teach children that swimming in open water is not the same as swimming in a pool. They need to be aware of the uneven surfaces, river currents, ocean undertow, and changing weather.
  • Install fences around home pools. A pool fence should surround all sides of the pool and be at least four feet tall with self-closing and self-latching gates.
  • Empty kiddie pools after each use. Store them upside down so they do not collect water.
  • Know what to do in an emergency. Learning CPR and basic water-rescue skills may help you save a child’s life.
  • Have your children learn CPR. It’s a skill that will serve them for a lifetime.

Preparing for your summer fun by following water-safety rules makes water sports enjoyable and secure for everyone!

Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a licensed real-estate broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) and a licensed N.Y.S. loan officer (FM Home Loans) with over 20 years of experience offering full-service residential, commercial, and management real-estate services as well as mortgage services. She can be reached at 516-569-5007 or via her website, www.AVCrealty.com. Readers are encouraged to send questions or comments to anessa@AVCrealty.com.

 

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