Pool Alarm

A Pool Alarm is an important part of home safety and security, but sadly, many homeowners consistently overlook this life saving device. So first, what is a pool alarm?

A pool alarm is a device that attaches to the side of your pool, with a sensor in the water. If any object weighing more than 18 pounds(pet, child, lawn chair) falls into the pool when the alarm is set, it will sound a loud siren at the pool itself and on a base receiver placed in your home, with a range of up to 200 feet.

Why do you need this? Well, the reasons should be clear for anyone who has a family or even has friends or relatives visiting with children. It only takes a short time for a child to fall into a pool and drown. In that scenario, every second counts, and a pool alarm will give you the means to immediately respond.

Still don't think you need one? Here are some sobering facts (source: CDC):

• In 2005, there were 3,582 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging ten deaths per day.
• More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger.¹ For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.¹
• Nonfatal drownings can cause brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (i.e., permanent vegetative state).

And just how serious is the problem for small children (also from the CDC):

Children: In 2005, of all children 1 to 4 years old who died, almost 30% died from drowning.¹Although drowning rates have slowly declined,^{1, 3} fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.⁴

If you have children, I'm not trying to freak you out. However, I do hope you're a little scared. You need to realize the importance of having adequate protection for your children when playing in your swimming pool. There's simply too much at risk not to be prepared.

Pool Alarms

For those of us with pools at home, its getting to be that time of year. Its not warm enough yet to go swimming, but its also not that far away (though it may seem so). Its time to begin making preparations for opening the pool. And while a pool provides lots of fun for family and friends, there are some risks inherent in having a pool, especially if you have children.

According to the CDC, six people drown in U.S. pools every single day. Most of these are children. Obviously having some sort of security fence is a good idea. Still, its not enough in itself. Many children, even young children, are able to open gates. In this case, your best chance of protection is with a pool alarm. Pool alarms have sensors to know if something 18 lbs or more broke the surface of the water. This will then sound a loud alarm on the monitor (up to 200 feet away), alerting you to the potential danger and giving you time to rescue your loved one. Considering all of the cost that goes into maintaining a pool, an alarm costs very little. However, its value (protecting your family) is worth more than anything else you could possibly do with your pool.

When it comes to choosing pool alarms, there are many different options out there, but not all are equally good. Here is a link to Consumer Reports' evaluation of pool alarms and their recommendations. You can read the problems with some of the pool alarms, not least of which is delayed notification, which renders the system practically useless. You will also notice that they only recommend PoolGuard pool alarms. Likewise, these are the only pool alarms that SafeMart offers. We do this because we are absolutely committed to providing your family with the best possible protection at the lowest prices.

Pool season is just around the corner. Make sure you and your loved ones have a safe, as well as fun and relaxing, summer!