It’s heating up and people want to cool down. Residential swimming pools seem to have the answer. It can provide hours of recreation and healthy activity for all family members, but at the same time, pools are a tremendous responsibility that require strict safety practices and measures, particularly if there are children in your house.

Tragically, more than 1,000 children drown and 4,000 are hospitalized due to near-drownings every year. Even more frightening, the majority of these incidents occur in residential swimming pools. Not your child, not at your house? Unfortunately, nearly 70% of children under age five who have drowned were not expected to be in or near the pool at the time of the drowning, but in the house.

Even with survivors of near-drownings, the outcomes can be very serious. A child will lose consciousness after being submerged in water for two minutes. Irreversible brain damage occurs after four to six minutes.

“I can’t imagine the devastation of finding my child in the pool unconscious,” said Agency Owner Steven Kramer.  “Accidents happen, but I want to safeguard my customers and their families against pool injuries and fatalities. It’s all about education.”

Kramer Insurance Center recognizes the seriousness of Pool Safety and offers the following tips for you and your family:

·  Never leave your child alone or out of eye contact while he/she is in or near the pool.

·  Children under age three should be kept within arm’s reach of an adult while in or about the pool.

·  Keep a telephone poolside so you won’t have to leave children unsupervised to make or answer a call.

·  Always use approved personal-flotation devices, rather than inflatable toys, to keep your child afloat.

·  Do not consider young children to be “drown-proof” because they have had swimming lessons.

·  Remove toys from in and around the pool when you’re not using them. Toys can attract young children to the pool.

·  Prohibit diving in shallow water and in all above-ground pools. Diving into shallow water can result in cervical spin injuries causing permanent paralysis.

·  If you own a pool, insist that all adults in your family learn CPR.

·  Discuss pool rules, safety measures and procedures, water depths, etc., with your guests before they enter the water.

“A few simple tips can save a life,” says Kramer.

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