View Full Version : Pool safety
As you all probably know, most Florida homes have to have pool safety features installed by law to protect our guests and, in particular, their children from pool accidents.
Discussions in the owners' area on this subject have brought to light a frightening number of near misses with owners' kids in various pools (not necessarily in Florida) which then started us wondering how many guests had experienced these too. We have no idea unless you tell us and it may make a difference to the way we, as owners, treat pool safety issues.
Please also vote in the relevant section if you have a close friend or relative whose kid has accidentally fallen into a pool.
I am afraid I and my husband are members of the Overprotective Parents Help Group [msnscared]
our girls are never out of our sight when they are with us and when they are not with us they are with a couple of fellow members we call friends we still check on both of them every night before we get in bed to sleep hmmm could be why the 4 year old still insists on getting into our bed most nights (do you think) [msncry]
ctgirlscout
27-07-2004, 19:30
I am interested to see the results of this poll. In addition to my daughter wandering into the pool area unsupervised, my son slipped down an embankment into a pond once right in front of us! No wonder I'm getting gray hair!
Ann-Marie
27-07-2004, 20:21
Having just returned from our trip with our godson who is nearly 3 - we found the pool alarm at the villa we rented to be a nuisance but well worth it! We were always aware when anyone entered the pool area and having 4 adults there was always plenty of supervision. You soon got used to the beep everytime you opened the patio doors!
:D
anna maria freak
30-07-2004, 21:46
Travelling for the first holiday with our two year old grandson in September. I would far rather be annoyed by a beeping pool alarm than be haunted by the consequences of not having one, but being members of the over protective grandparents group:) should go a long way in ensuring a safe trip:D
Lorraine
tezz7628
30-07-2004, 22:08
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ann-Marie
You soon got used to the beep everytime you opened the patio doors!
:D
[/quote]
i know you didnt intend it to come out the way i am taking it
but i have to say this could be a very dangerous situation to get in
getting used to an alarm that is going off :)
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ann-Marie
Having just returned from our trip with our godson who is nearly 3 - we found the pool alarm at the villa we rented to be a nuisance but well worth it! We were always aware when anyone entered the pool area and having 4 adults there was always plenty of supervision. You soon got used to the beep everytime you opened the patio doors!
:D
[/quote]
Totlally agree with this, and have no time for poor excuses from guest about the inconvenience factor. My childen are a 11 and 14 and I still maintain the use of the pool alarms is essential.
[msnmad]
It's not just the pool though! We had a situation in Turkey when my eldest (then 4) was wandering around the pool, with us a few steps behind, when she went over to look at a dragonfly on a flower. It was lovely, but beside it, and not spotted by us, was a pool light, one of the small black pedestal types, with a glass globe. The globe had been smashed, as had the lamp, and she put her hand on it to gain her balance. Was given one hell of an electric shock, and had dreadful burns to her thumb and finger, which took weeks to heal. So, although my kids are now 17, 14 & 10, I always check out all aspects of the pool and surrounding areas......... Can never be too careful! None of them have ever fallen into a pool accidentally though, pushed (in fun!) maybe, but never fallen, thank goodness...
Ann-Marie
31-07-2004, 00:54
Tezz
When I said we got used to it, I meant we got used to the noise everytime someone went out of the pool area to go into the villa and the door beeped - its pretty noisy, as it should be!! I would never take any kind of alarm for granted! I'm one of the most consciencious of people when it comes to safety, especially around kids!
The last villa we stayed in 4 years ago didn't have any alarms like this. I thinks its Floridian law now that every villa with a pool needs one, hence the reason it took getting used to.
Sorry if anyone has taken what I said the wrong way!
When my youngest boy was 2 we were staying in a villa and I was videoing the kids around the pool area. He was so busy playing up to the camcorder that he did not notice where he was and toppled into the pool. When we play back the tape, we can watch him just about to fall into the water and hear my screams as I dropped the camcorder and ran to get him out. It can happen so quickly, it is frightening.
SunLover
31-07-2004, 17:12
We have a long section in our Welcome Folder regarding Pool Safety.
Normally, we don't like to "preach", but as so few guests have their own pool at home, they often lose sight of the dangers, especially for their kids, when they are in the vacation mindset.
To us, Pool Safety is such an important issue, and we try very hard to ensure that parents realise this too.
We would rather be over cautious and save a life, than ignore the dangers and have something tragic happen.
Magical Dreams
01-08-2004, 00:36
Pool Safety is something that should be at the top of all our lists of safety.
As anyone had any experience with these new Pool fences that Florida Law apparantly now require New Homes to have?
We have seen them in the new show homes when we was there last month, although not the most attractive thing on earth, if they save just one life they must be worth their weight in Gold!
tezz7628
01-08-2004, 13:25
quote:
Originally posted by Ann-Marie
You soon got used to the beep everytime you opened the patio doors!
posted by tezz 7628
i know you didnt intend it to come out the way i am taking it
but i have to say this could be a very dangerous situation to get in
getting used to an alarm that is going off
tezz
posted by ann-marie
Tezz
When I said we got used to it, I meant we got used to the noise everytime someone went out of the pool area to go into the villa and the door beeped - its pretty noisy, as it should be!! I would never take any kind of alarm for granted! I'm one of the most consciencious of people when it comes to safety, especially around kids!
The last villa we stayed in 4 years ago didn't have any alarms like this. I thinks its Floridian law now that every villa with a pool needs one, hence the reason it took getting used to.
Sorry if anyone has taken what I said the wrong way!
Ann-Marie
as i inferred in my first posting i totally agree with the safety factor, but what hit me, like a slap on the face with a wet kipper :) was, i know of people who ignore alarms if the go on long enough or happen to often. house alarms or car alarms being a good example
please don't apologise for something i knew i was taking the wrong way :)
Ann-Marie
03-08-2004, 13:58
Thanks Tezz
We have locks and alarms on windows and doors and a pool safety fence. The law states that it should be up when children under 16 are present. Again some find it annoying but knowing how quickly small people can move it does mean if they do get past the alarmed door you know you can safely get outside and that they will not have come to any harm. It also means you can sit outside on the lanai having a meal or passing the time of day and they will not come to any harm. These are nearly 5' high and our's is very stiff to take down so although somewhat unsightly a small price to pay prevent an accident and to save a life.
Having said that we had only owned our villa for 30 minutes when our then 16 year old fell in playing ball with his brother, who as a qualified lifeguard should have known better than to play near a pool. Thereby proving the statement that they do not get better as they get older!
jolliffee
04-08-2004, 13:54
One of the things that really concerns me is taking glass into the pool area; we have it totally forbidden here in the UK and provide plastic glasses. Even though it’s in the T/C’s I worry that people don’t understand the danger of broken glass in a pool area. Especially if someone’s broken a glass in the pool and for some reason doesn’t contact the MC to get it sorted. I’m thinking of having a large notice made forbidding glass past the pool door? Use the plastic ones provided.
I know guests are normally very careful but I just worry that a follow on guest may have their holiday ruined!
huckleberry house
04-08-2004, 20:09
Dave
I have a sign by the patio door and a sign on the inside of the crockery cupboards as well as in my T and Cs but I still think people do it without thinking especially wine glasses/bottles, cups of coffee and bottles of bud etc apart from not providing crockery at all I dont know what else you can do really.
Lesley
I totally agree that an alarm is a must when small children are present, but my children are 17 & 22 and like to swim after we have gone to bed but they cannot now do this as the alarm going off when they come back in keeps us awake, since the age of 4 or 5 they have been very strong swimmers and far more capable of saving each other than relying on me as I can barely swim.
Just a quick word about alarms. These don't make any noise at all as long as taller people (as opposed to small kids) remember to press the button before they open the door to go out or as soon as they open the door to go in. If the button isn't pressed, that's when the alarm sounds (which is what it's supposed to do).
A number of owners have pool door and window alarms which you can turn on or off, which means that those families without small children don't need to worry about the pool alarm at all.
In the villas that we have stayed in there have been dire warnings of all sorts of fines if we were to switch of the alarm. There was a button to press that stopped the alarm going of when going out to the pool, but as soon as the door was opened to get back in to the villa the alarm went of with no delay time to allow you to push the button.
CarolAnn
13-08-2004, 00:16
A near drowning of our then 3 yr old in Typhoon Lagoon, meant a quick enrolment to our local swim club, we now have a villa with pool which has a safety net & pool alarmed doors around it, and a 12 yr old of 5ft 4ins who wins medals at swimming[msnsmile]And yes! I would consider myself an over protective parent, but safety is SOOOO important, treat water with respect at all times guys[msneek]