If you have a backyard pool, you know the importance of pool safety for kids and pets safe in and near the water. According to the CDC, drowning is the second leading cause of injury death for children and most of these incidents occur in home swimming pools.
To prevent family fun from becoming dangerous, it’s essential to put the proper pool safety precautions in place. In addition to installing a fence, there are plenty of pool security devices to choose from. To help you narrow down the options, here are our top five pool safety devices for protecting kids and pets.
#1: Pool Gate/Door Alarm
A pool door or gate alarm is your first line of defense in preventing young children from entering the water. It sounds a piercing siren when someone opens the door or gate leading to the pool area. This gives adults ample time to intervene before the child gets to the water. The popular MagnaLatch ALERT Pool Safety Gate Latch with Alarm is easy to install on your gate posts. The Poolguard Door Alarm is a cost effective option to be notified if someone opens the door to a pool area.
#2: Personal Immersion Detector
Personal immersion detectors feature a special wristband the child wears while in the pool area. It sounds a loud alarm to one or more base stations the instant they come in contact with the water. This is a good secondary security system to provide extra protection for kids around a pool. The LunaSafe Child/Pet Immersion Pool/Water Alarm Kit is a top-rated personal immersion detector system. It is designed to protect non-swimmers or anyone who shouldn’t swim alone. You can even clip LunaSafe immersion tags to your pet’s collar to keep them safe, too.
#3: Immersion Pool Alarm
Surface-based motion alarms are popular pool safety devices. They are relatively inexpensive and can be used in both above and in-ground pools. These floating pool alarms use electronic signals to measure displaced water and waves created by objects of a certain weight.
The LifeBuoy BCone Pool Alarm System is based on advanced sensors and software algorithms. It provides maximum protection of children and pets with minimal user effort. You can monitor your pool from anywhere using your smartphone by receiving alerts when there is an alarm. It is easily portable and can be brought along on vacations. This is a great choice for protecting kids and pets.
If you’re not near the pool, a water immersion pool alarm is the next best option for keeping children and non-swimmers safe. With a pool alarm, anyone who gets past your fence and gate/door alarm will still be protected if he or she falls into the water.
The most advanced and effective pool alarms use a combination of technologies designed to improve the alarm’s ability to sense and trigger when anyone is in the water while minimizing false alarms. Poolguard Pool Alarms has great options for both in-ground and above-ground pools.
#4: SwamCam
The one-of-a-kind SwamCam Pool Alarm uses Artificial Intelligence to detect and alert you as soon as a child enters the pool area. When Armed, it continuously scans the pool area for the presence of people. When triggered, it sounds a local alarm as well as sending a notification via the SwamCam app.
The SwamCam app allows you to:
- Pull up a live view of the pool area
- Speak to anyone in the pool area
- Arm and disarm your SwamCam pool alarm
- Call 911 in case of an emergency
#5: Swim Aids & Flotation Devices
Outfitting kids with a swim aid or flotation device will ensure that they stay afloat while they are learning to swim or if they get into trouble or deep water. A popular product for young swimmers is the super-comfortable PoolMaster Learn-to-Swim Tube Trainer for children up to 35 pounds.
Flotation devices are helpful for pets, too! Your pets can be secure around water with their own life jacket. Dog life jackets come in different sizes to ensure a good fit for your pet.
Must-Have Emergency Equipment for Pool Safety
While these ingenious pool safety devices will alert you to people entering the pool area or the water, every backyard pool owner should keep basic emergency equipment on hand. You can have a ring buoy to toss quickly to anyone struggling in the water, as well as a reaching pole or a shepherd’s crook. Always keep a cell phone in the pool area in case you need to call for help in an emergency. It’s also a good idea to review the CDC’s guidelines on how to prevent child drowning.
The bottom line: if you have a pool, you need to take the proper precautions to keep kids safe while in and around it. DIY’s pool safety experts can help you find the right combination of products, at the right price, to help prevent accidents and give you peace of mind. Be sure to select an alarm designed for the type of pool you have, These comparison charts for above-ground and in-ground pools are a great place to start.
