Home swimming pools are a great way to cool off, have fun and relax without the hassle of packing up and driving the family to a public facility.

But pool ownership brings responsibilities that can’t be taken lightly. “Water brings happiness into people’s lives,” said Thomas Lachocki, former CEO of the National Swimming Pool Foundation. “We want to help people enjoy the benefits of home pools while minimizing the risks.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the fifth-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the United States. Children between 1 and 4 years old are most at risk of drowning, and most of those incidents occur in home pools.

Lachocki and other experts offer eight strategies to help pool owners, family members and friends swim safely.

Invest in swimming lessons

It’s critical that kids learn the skills they need to enjoy water safely. A study conducted in 2009 found that formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning in children ages 1 to 4 by as much as 88 percent.

But knowing how to swim is important for people of all ages.

“Many caregivers and parents don’t realize that they may be putting their children at risk if they don’t know how to swim,” said Nikki Fleming, a spokesperson for the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s “Pool Safely” campaign. “If there is a dangerous situation and you have to act, that may require you to swim to the person in need.”

Still, swimming skills are only part of water safety. “Learning to swim is necessary, but understanding safe behavior in, on and around the water is also important,” said William D. Ramos, a professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington and a member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council.

Assign a ‘water watcher’

“Drownings can occur at pool parties with many adults present,” Fleming said. “Everyone may think someone else is watching, when in reality no one is watching.”

Adults can take turns serving as a “water watcher,” although party hosts should stay out of the rotation because they’re likely to be distracted, Ramos said.

He recommends hiring a certified lifeguard for a larger group of swimmers. “The long-standing rule was, ‘You never swim alone.’ Now, that’s been extended to, ‘You never swim without somebody watching you,’” Ramos said. “The water watcher is an adult who’s separate from the activity and whose sole job is to be attentive to the situation.”

Unlike what’s typically seen in TV shows or movies, warning signs of drowning rarely include yelling, splashing or flailing arms.

“You may think you’ll have ample time to react,” Ramos said, “but drowning is quick and silent and can often go unnoticed, even if a parent or guardian is nearby but distracted.”

According to Ramos and Fleming, the water watcher should:

• Be free of distractions – no cellphones or poolside conversations.
• Never leave swimmers unattended – even for bathroom breaks.
• Regularly scan the bottom of the pool.
• Know how to use the pool safety equipment.
• Be trained in CPR.

Guard the pool with multiple‘layers of protection’

Children escape supervision from time to time, and they can be inventive in getting around safeguards.

“It is critical that pool and spa owners install layers of protection between the house and the water,” Fleming said. “These can include a 4-foot-tall, non-climbable fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate; alarms on all doors and windows leading from the house to the pool area; and well-maintained pool and spa covers.”

Securely close pools when they’re not in use. This includes emptying pop-up and toddler wading pools. Any amount of water can be a hazard, Ramos warns.

“We recommend that when you’re done using a portable pool, you put it away,” Ramos said. “Or at least empty it and turn it upside down.”

Don’t count on toys

Inflatable or foam toys – such as swim rings and pool noodles – can give children and non-swimmers a false sense of security and encourage them to venture into water depths that may be unsafe. Some products might even force a child’s head underwater if used incorrectly, Ramos said.

“We recommend the highest level of safety, which would be a flotation device that’s U.S. Coast Guard-approved,” he said.

Don’t get too comfortable

At home, family members and guests may be tempted to take risks that wouldn’t be allowed at a public pool, Ramos cautioned. “There’s more opportunity for inappropriate behaviors that a lifeguarded pool might stop, like … attempting to dive into shallow water, or extended breath-holding competitions.”

Ramos recommends that hosts ask party guests (or their parents) what their skill levels are to help determine who can go in the deep end, who should stick to shallow areas and who shouldn’t be in the pool at all.

Check your drain cover

The powerful suction generated by pool drains and vents can pose serious risk of injury or drowning. The Virginia Graeme Baker Act, which became law in 2007, requires drain covers to be designed to prevent a swimmer’s hair or limbs from becoming trapped. However, if your pool’s drain cover predates the law or is damaged, your family and guests could be at risk.

“In residential pools, it’s possible that no one has changed the drain cover for 10 or even 20 years,” Lachocki said. “If the drain cover is outdated or damaged, the pool should be immediately closed until it is replaced.”

Store chemicals securely

Pool chemicals are necessary for keeping the water pH-balanced and sanitary, but they pose their own risks. Lachocki advises pool owners to:

• Read and follow storage directions on the packaging.
• Keep chemicals in their original containers and store them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of reach of kids and animals.
• Never store liquids on top of solids.

Create an emergency action plan

“Make a step-by-step flowchart of what will happen in case of an emergency, because time is of the essence in these situations,” Ramos said. The emergency action plan should detail:

• Who will make the rescue
• Who will call emergency services
• Who will care for the victim until help arrives
• Where the nearest phone is
• What equipment is available to assist and where it is

“You hope you’ll never have to use an emergency action plan,” Ramos said, “but when you do, it can really make a difference.”