Safety tips for being around water

The festive season is a joyous season for all and is filled with festivities, parties, family gatherings and lots of other exiting activities.

Learners are all at home as learning institutions are closed for the year.

Enjoying a day out by the pool and open water sources is standard during the warmer days.

If you want to enjoy swimming to the fullest, one needs to know some basic safety tips.

Mr William Ntladi, the spokesperson for Ekurhuleni’s Emergency Services Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) said negligence near pools, lakes, dams and different beaches along the coast can lead to serious accidents and in some extreme cases, death.

“Several lives have been lost already and near drowning incidents reported as a result of water-related accidents in different areas across the City if Ekurhuleni and abroad. Most of the people affected are young male children. When you have a swimming pool on your premises, you need to be extra cautious and vigilant to ensure everyone`s safety,” said Mr Ntladi.

These basic swimming pool safety tips will help to keep your family and community in your neighbourhood safe from potential injury or death:

•  A gate and fencing around the swimming pool is a necessity. Most people shy away from having a gated and fenced off swimming pool because it is not aesthetically pleasing. They will keep small children away from the pool more over when running around in the garden.
•  Pool covers in conjunction with the gate and fencing around the pool will add to the safety. Pool covers will assist with preventing someone from falling into the swimming pool. It should prevent them from going under the water.
•  Never allow your child or anyone else to swim alone in the pool. Having two people in the pool at the same time will provide added safety measures. They will be able to keep an eye on one another and, if anything should happen, help could be called promptly.
•  Life savers or an adult who knows how to swim should be around the pool at all times in case of unexpected eventualities.
•  Safety inflatable rubber or plastic devices should be readily available and easy accessed to be thrown out to aid the victim in trouble.
•  Equip your children with the skill of swimming and if possible, provide them with arm bands, noodles and kicker boards if children are not fully skilled in swimming.

Mr Ntladi said it is still the parent’s responsibility to ensure the safety of their children.

“Having a basic first aid course training behind your name will provide an extra bit of security. If major emergency happens, you will be able to conduct basic CPR before the arrival of the paramedics. This could mean the different between life and death in some circumstances,” said Mr Ntladi.

Emergency numbers:

• 10177 : National Toll Free Number
• 112 : Cell Phone
• 011 458-0911 : Life Threatening Ekurhuleni Emergency Line