A Pool Alarm is an important part of home safety and security, but sadly, many homeowners consistently overlook this life saving device. So first, what is a pool alarm?
A pool alarm is a device that attaches to the side of your pool, with a sensor in the water. If any object weighing more than 18 pounds(pet, child, lawn chair) falls into the pool when the alarm is set, it will sound a loud siren at the pool itself and on a base receiver placed in your home, with a range of up to 200 feet.
Why do you need this? Well, the reasons should be clear for anyone who has a family or even has friends or relatives visiting with children. It only takes a short time for a child to fall into a pool and drown. In that scenario, every second counts, and a pool alarm will give you the means to immediately respond.
Still don’t think you need one? Here are some sobering facts (source: CDC):
- In 2005, there were 3,582 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging ten deaths per day.
- More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger.ยน For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.1
- Nonfatal drownings can cause brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (i.e., permanent vegetative state).
And just how serious is the problem for small children (also from the CDC):
Children: In 2005, of all children 1 to 4 years old who died, almost 30% died from drowning.1Although drowning rates have slowly declined,1, 3 fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.4
If you have children, I’m not trying to freak you out. However, I do hope you’re a little scared. You need to realize the importance of having adequate protection for your children when playing in your swimming pool. There’s simply too much at risk not to be prepared.
