Nutley Officials Offer Pool Safety Tips

Nutley officials want their residents to be safer – and they’re willing to help them through a new program called SAFE, Safety Awareness for Everyone.

The program will emphasize personal safety, Internet safety, bicycle safety, staying home alone safely, babysitting guidelines and other tips that can be used by families, said Police Chief John Holland.

 “I strongly believe that parent or guardian and community responsiveness is fundamental to the safety and protection of our children,” said Mayor Alphonse Petracco, who also directs the Dept. of Public Safety.

The first installment is summer safety.

During the summer, parents need to take special precautions to keep their children safe around water.

The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission estimates 3,000 children under the age of five are treated annually for submersion accidents, and pools account for 10 percent of drowning deaths for that age group. 

“These are frightening numbers for any family,” Petracco said. “But by being knowledgeable about accident/injury prevention, especially with regard to the number one threat of drowning, we can keep our children safe.” 

Pool safety includes using self-closing or latching gates around pools, removing overhanging tree limbs, ladders and chairs to prevent children from climbing into pools.

Other hints are draining small amounts of water – including wading pools and buckets to prevent infant drownings and pool owners should use gate alarms and pool alarms that sound when water is disturbed.

At public pools, residents should make sure there are life guards and ensure the staff is trained in first aid and CPR, know the pool depth and what the shallow end is for young children.

The pool should be deep enough for diving boards and pool users should find out if lifesaving equipment such as reach poles are readily.

Petracco said parents should also be aware of lifeguard distractions.

 “Last year the American Life Guard Association reported on the threat to water safety due to lifeguard texting,” Petracco said. “The well-recognized and real dangers of texting while driving are more than a cautionary tale, and are equally applicable for pool safety concerns.” 

Teenage babysitters especially may be prone to texting distractions, Petracco said, and parents should  disconnect babysitters from iPhones/iPods, whether texting, blogging, or watching videos.