Safety rules help guarantee summer fun at the pool

Tag : Pool Float
The course DVD, compression-practice tool, hand-placement diagram,emergency first aid guide and wallet skills card are $10 at831-1192 or by e-mailing cgruver@arctac.org .

Layered protection : Install and maintain fencing around the pool to control who usesit, including a self-locking, self-closing gate and 6- to 8-foot,wooden, sight-barrier fence with vertical pickets. Openings in thefence should be no more than four inches wide. If the house is partof the barrier, doors leading from the house to the pool shouldremain locked and protected by an alarm that sounds when the dooris opened. Never leave furniture near the fence that children canclimb to scale the fence.

Children : Don't leave small children unsupervised, even for a few seconds,at poolside — take them with you if you have to handle anindoor errand. Don't leave toys or floats in the pool as they aredeadly temptations for toddlers.

Learn to swim : All pool users should know how to swim and learners should beaccompanied by a good swimmer. Make children take swimming lessonsand don't allow anyone to swim alone. The Red Cross offers swimminglessons at www.tulsaworld.com/learnswim — at three locations in south Tulsa, three in east, three innorth, four in west, 12 in midtown Tulsa and three in Broken Arrow;as well as Creek, Mayes, Muskogee, Rogers and Wagoner counties.

Filters and skimmer: Keep children away from pool filters and other mechanical devices— suction force may injure them or prevent them fromsurfacing. In case of an emergency, know how to shut off thesedevices and clearly post this information.

No glass or electricity : Check the pool area regularly for glass bottles, toys or otherpotential accident hazards. AC-powered CD players, radios and otherelectrical devices will cause electrocution when they fall in thepool or onto a damp pool deck.

Dangerous Too's : Be mindful of the "dangerous too's" — you're "too tired" tocontinue swimming, your child is "too cold" to remain in the water,your expert-swimmer wife is "too far from safety," you've all had"too much sun and too much strenuous activity" to think reasonablyabout the dangers around you.

No booze zone : Don't mix alcohol with swimming as it impairs judgment, balanceand coordination, dulls swimming and diving skills and reduces yourability to stay warm.

Lightning : Get out of the pool and go inside the first time you hear thunderor see lightning, even at a distance. The pool-owner's mantra: "Ifyou can see it, flee it. If you can hear it, clear it" —meaning "clear the pool of swimmers."Submit Action Line questionsby calling 699-8888 or by e-mailing phil.mulkins@TulsaWorld.com or by U.S. mailing it to Tulsa World Consumer, PO Box 1770, TulsaOK 74102-1770.