Keep Safety In Mind First When Buying A Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Home With A Pool
July 9, 2008
Some of the most desirable homes in the Fort Lauderdale real estate market are those homes that have pools. Outdoor living is a major benefit of living in South Florida. We have boating, the beach, and many homes have the benefit of a pool in the backyard.
Pools aren’t exclusive to the rich. A pool home can be found in just about any neighborhood in any price range. Despite all of the hours of fun a pool can bring to the family, nothing can be worse than to lose a child due to the lack of safety precautions and the acceptance of extreme responsibility if you choose to own a Fort Lauderdale real estate home with a pool.
Each year, nationwide, about 300 children under 5 years old drown in swimming pools, usually a pool owned by their family. In addition, more than 2,000 children in that age group are treated in hospital emergency rooms for submersion injuries.
If you own a home with a pool, you must adhere to municipal laws and regulations, make sure you have strict safety precautions in place, and use more than a modicum of common sense.
Following are just a few facts uncovered by the U .S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in a comprehensive study of drowning and submersion incidents involving children under 5 years old in Arizona, California, and Florida:
- Seventy-five percent of the submersion victims studied by CPSC were between 1 and 3 years old; 65 percent of this group were boys. Toddlers, in particular, often do something unexpected because their capabilities change daily.
- At the time of the incidents, most victims were being supervised by one or both parents. Forty-six percent of the victims were last seen in the house; 23 percent were last seen in the yard or on the porch or patio; and 31 percent were in or around the pool before the accident. In all, 69 percent of the children were not expected to be at or in the pool, yet they were found in the water.
- Submersion incidents involving children usually happen in familiar surroundings. Sixty- five percent of the incidents happened in a pool owned by the child’s family and 33 percent of the incidents happened in a pool owned by friends or relatives.
- Pool submersions involving children happen quickly. A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone. Seventy-seven percent of the victims had been missing from sight for 5 minutes or less.
- Survival depends on rescuing the child quickly and restarting the breathing process, even while the child is still in the water. Seconds count in preventing death or brain damage.
- Child drowning is a silent death. There’s no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble.
Eighty-one percent of drownings occurred in in-ground pools. Parents were the residence owners in 55% of events. In over two-thirds of deaths, the child was last seen inside the house and was most likely to be under the care of the one or both parents who were engaged in some type of routine activity.
The primary barrier breached in 71% of cases was a door leading from the house to the pool area. Safety messages focusing on direct visual contact of children at all times are critical.
Here are some key safety tips for living in a Fort Lauderdale real estate home with a pool:
- Take the water seriously. Make sure at least one adult is always with the children and that adult knows how to swim
- Buy a cordless, waterproof telephone that you keep charged in close proximity to the pool at all times, in case you need to call for emergency assistance
- Have at least one adult learn CPR
- Place safety equipment like rafts or floats near the pool in case of an emergency
- Do not mix swimming and drinking alcohol. A loss of judgment could mean the difference between life and death around a pool
- Never leave children unattended around a pool
- By law, in Florida, a pool must be secured either by a property perimeter fence or you must install a safety fence around the pool. The safety fence must be at least 4 feet high with a self-closing and self-locking fence, between the house and the pool
- Understand and teach your children that a toy is not a flotation devices.
To find out more information on how to responsibly own a Fort Lauderdale real estate home with a pool please visit the American Red Cross.
Owning a home with a pool can be a blast year round in the Fort Lauderdale real estate market but you have to knowledgeable, responsible and keep safety in mind at all times.
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If you are interested in learning more about buying a home or condo in Fort Lauderdale or anywhere in South Florida; or if you need any information about the Fort Lauderdale real estate market, please feel free to contact me and it would be my pleasure to assist you.You can contact me at the number shown below or please feel free to contact me by the form below and I, or one of my assistants, will be sure to get right back to you within a few hours, if not sooner.
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