Dr Justin Scarr
Chief executive officer
Royal Life Saving Australia
AS the warmer months approach, Royal Life Saving Australia is urging all backyard pool owners to check their pool fences and gates as a matter of urgency. It is vital to save lives.
Children under five are very curious, quick, and fearless. Their love of water puts them at a very serious risk of drowning. Each year in Australia, we lose on average 19 young children to drowning, with half of these tragedies occurring in backyard swimming pools. The majority are aged just one year old. The risk of drowning triples at this age when children become more mobile.
We should all be deeply concerned.
For every child who dies, around eight more are hospitalised following a non-fatal drowning incident, this is over 150 children under five every year. Some of these children will experience long-term health outcomes, which can have life-long impacts on children and their families.
This is extremely alarming.
While active supervision is always the best protection, no parent or caregiver can watch a child every second of the day. A functioning, compliant pool fence and self-closing, self-latching gate provides a vital extra layer of protection – for those everyday moments when life interrupts: the phone rings, the doorbell goes, or another child needs your attention.
Royal Life Saving’s free Home Pool Safety Checklist can easily be downloaded at www.royallifesaving.com.au/keepwatch
Pool owners should always check that wet weather hasn’t loosened fence posts, gates are working and close properly, toys are packed away, and portable pools are emptied when not in use. Just as important, brushing up on CPR skills ahead of summer could well save a life.
By taking the time now to check your pool fence, gate and surrounds – making sure there are no climbable objects nearby – you could prevent a tragedy.
Keep Watch and protect the littlest members of your family.
