Swimming Safety

Summer’s hot, humid weather makes swimming in your local pool or lake the perfect heat escape. Make swimming safe as well as fun by following these safety precautions:

• Shower before swimming, especially in a public pool, to avoid spreading illness in the water. Avoid swallowing water or getting it in the mouth.

• Warm up and stretch for five minutes before swimming. Muscles are more prone to injury when you begin exercising without warming up first.

• Never swim alone or leave children unattended. If you must go inside, have the child wait on the edge of the pool until you return.

• When swimming at home, always keep a first aid kit ready. Contact your local American Red Cross for CPR classes before taking on the job of lifeguard for your backyard swimming pool.

• Determine if the water in the pool is deep enough for diving. Above-ground pools are never deep enough to dive into.

• Check the weather before jumping in the pool. If it begins to rain while you’re in the pool or if you hear thunder, get out of the water. Lightning won’t be far behind and can cause a serious risk to swimmers.

• Don’t swim in a lake or ocean right after a storm. The water may be rising and currents become stronger.