City of Glendale - News

Be Water Wise Around Your Pool!

Glendale Firefighters offer the following pool and swimming tips to keep your family safe

When it comes to keeping children safe around water, the Glendale Fire Department offers a wealth of knowledge and the latest drowning prevention techniques. “The leading cause of injury-related death for children under the age of 5 in Arizona is drowning. Our goal is to prevent all drownings in the city of Glendale,” says Glendale Fire Chief Mark Burdick.

Glendale Fire Captain Eric Keppler installed a safety net over his pool to keep his 16-month-old daughter safe. The safety net covers the entire pool and will catch his daughter if she falls over the edge. As additional safeguards, Captain Keppler also has self-closing pool gates and a self-closing arcadia door that can only be opened by pulling a lever placed high up on the door.

“Taking these precautionary measures is important, however, the only insurance a parent has against their child drowning is to watch them around water at all times,” Keppler says.

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, 67 percent of drownings occur in backyard pools or tubs. In addition to never leaving a child alone around water, the Glendale Fire Department recommends that every parent teach their children to swim and learn CPR. Parents should also take a cordless phone outside with them when watching children around water.

For pricing information on these safety devices, please contact your local pool vendors.

The Glendale Fire Department offers these safety tips to keep children safe around water:

Around the House Water Safety

• Avoid standing water. A child can drown in 1 to 2 inches of water!
• Never leave a child alone in the bathtub.
• Empty all buckets and pails.
• Close toilet lids.
• In case of a drowning, call 911.

Backyard Pool Safety

• Never leave children alone around water.
• Fence your pool & latch your gate.
• Secure doors, gates and pet doors that are leading to the pool area.
• Empty inflatable pools when not in use.
• Know where your child is at all times.
• Teach children how to swim.