IRISH PARENTS are being advised to be alert to the hidden dangers posed by swimming pools, now that the summer holidays are almost upon us, writes Michelle McDonagh.
As the Irish Water Safety Association warns, the picture postcard scenes at holiday venues abroad can often mask these very real dangers, but the fact is that many swimming pools, whether indoor or outdoor, may be only partially lifeguarded - or not at all.
Consequently, the association advises that extra precautions must be taken from the moment of arrival at the holiday centre to the time of departure.
France has implemented some of the toughest domestic pool safety laws in Europe, with non-compliance with the laws resulting not only in a punitive fine of up to €45,000, but the added risk of being sued if an accident at your home involves somebody else's child.
There are more than 1.1 million private pools in France and the swimming pool market has doubled in the past 10 years, spiking after the long, hot summer of 2003.
However, that increase was accompanied by an increase in tragic accidents - 15 to 20 children aged five or under die every year in French pools.
French law had been surprisingly lax about pool safety standards up to 2002, leaving the onus on the pool owner to make the choice to secure the pool against accidents.
In December 2002, former prime minister Jean Pierre Raffarin introduced a law aimed at reducing the number of tragedies. By January 1st, 2004, in-ground pools on every property rented out to holidaymakers had to have a safety system installed.
Private outdoor pools had until January 1st, 2006 to install often costly safety features under the Raffarin Law.
Australia, New Zealand and many US states have also enacted strict laws relating to access to domestic pools by young children.
Now Spain is set to follow in the footsteps of other countries by finally enforcing the EU regulations regarding pool safety. All new pools, community pools and pools on rental property will be obliged to install a security fence, cover, enclosure or alarm.
Lyn Quinlan, an Irish woman living in Marbella, Spain, warns that people tend to underestimate the dangers of water where children are concerned.
She and her husband, Marc, founded the Water Angels Association in March, 2006 following the tragic drowning of their baby son, Leon, in a public swimming pool in Marbella.
"We were here a year to the day when Leon had his accident. Living here, we saw the lack of pool safety standards in Spain. When we realised how little was being done in general, we decided to set up a charity to highlight how quickly a child can drown and to campaign for pool gates and other safety precautions," she explains.
Two-and-a-half year-old Leon was wearing a disposable nappy when he tragically drowned, and Lyn says parents need to be aware of the dangers of nappies - which can drag a child down within seconds when filled with water.
"The hospitals here say they see at least one child a day under 12 admitted due to near drowning on the Costa del Sol during June, July and August each year. There's no breakdown as to whether they are Spanish or holidaymakers, but that's a lot of kids," she remarks.
Lyn advises parents of smaller children to invest in a safety device such as the Safety Turtle (available online), a wristband-type pool alarm. A band is attached to the child's wrist and if the band comes into contact with water, an alarm on the monitor goes off.
When Lyn and Marc looked into the regulations governing pool safety in Spain, they found that, although regulations were in place, they were not being enforced.
The key objective behind Water Angels, they explain, is to raise awareness about the dangers of water, both at home and abroad, down to never leaving small children alone in the bath.
Lyn says many parents are unable to swim and so would be unable to rescue their child in the event of an emergency.
"There are so many scares - everybody seems to have a story whether it's about a pond in a garden in Ireland or a pool in Spain. More and more people have water features in their gardens. A friend of mine found her child floating in their pond. Thankfully he survived but it highlights the need for netting in these ponds," says Lyn.
She points out that it takes only a few seconds for a child to drown or suffer irreversible, per-manent damage from a near drowning.
A child can drown in just a few inches of water - a toilet, bucket, hot tub, bath, aquarium or any other container of water.
Over the past three years, Lyn and Marc have raised nearly €1 million, mainly from Irish supporters, through their annual Water Angels ball in Marbella. They have donated €180,000 of this money to enable the Irish Water Safety Association appoint an education development officer to promote water safety to children across the State
With water safety forming part of the physical education strand of the primary school curriculum, the role of the water safety officer is to encourage schools, pools, parents and children to prioritise water safety by learning the Paws (Primary Aquatic Water Safety) programme.
The aim of this programme is to help reduce fatalities due to drowning in children through awareness of water safety.
Some of the funds raised have been donated to stem cell research being carried out at a special hospital in Toledo, Spain where some of the children who survive near-drownings end up, in some cases for the rest of their lives. A significant portion of the monies raised by Water Angels is invested in water safety awareness campaigns and advertising.
"Most of us presume that, once our kids can swim, they are fine. The problem if that if they get into difficulty, panic sets in and takes over no matter how good a swimmer they are. I don't think enough emphasis is placed on water safety.
"We all teach our kids not to walk across the road if there is a car coming but most people don't take water as seriously as they should," states Lyn.
Marc and Lyn moved to Marbella from Co Meath with their five children in 2003, having seen a niche in the market for a good quality Irish restaurant there.
They had been running a restaurant in Clonee, but were finding it too difficult to make a living there.
In the five years since they opened Beckitt's in Marbella, it has become a popular haven for Irish ex-pats and holidaymakers on the Costa Del Sol alike.
Following the tragic loss of Leon a year after they started their new life in the sun, many people assumed the Quinlans would return to Ireland, but they came to the decision that overall, the quality of life in Spain was much better for the children.
Lyn explains: "The kids have a wonderful way of life here. They speak two languages and, because of the weather, they are outside so much that they sleep and eat better. We don't go to work until 8pm so we can spend the day with the kids and do their homework with the older ones after school.
"In Ireland, we were working day and night to make a living. I feel we really get to enjoy the kids here. Family is a big priority for the Spanish and things are much slower here than in Dublin, where life has got extremely fast."
Top tips for holidaying abroad safely
1On arrival at a holiday centre which has a swimming pool, do not allow children to go immediately to the pool until you have checked out the safety arrangements - there may not be any lifeguard on duty.
2It is unwise to go for a quick swim after a lengthy car journey.
3Never swim after having alcohol or food.
4Obey all the usual safety rules that apply in any properly run pool, eg no running, no running dives, no horseplay, etc.
5Be particularly careful of young children wandering off.
6Check for pool depth markings. There may not be any so you must check the depths yourself if you are a competent swimmer.
7Ensure that you do not dive into shallow water.
8Watch out for children's baby pools that may be next to the main pool without any barrier between them.
9Watch out for sudden drops or changes in the gradient of a pool floor.
10Check for missing, uneven or slippery tiles surrounding or in the pool.
11Do not swim or do not allow children to swim in a pool with discoloured water.
12Always swim, or surf, in areas patrolled by lifeguards.
13Swim in the designated swimming area when swimming in the sea. Normally, the red and yellow flags indicate the zoned area for swimming.
14Swim with family or friends - never alone.
15Swim within your depth and parallel to the shore.
Source:Irish Water Safety Association
How drowning incidents occur
A study conducted by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to find out how child drowning incidents occur revealed that supervision can and does fail.
The investigation by the commission was directed at children under five in Arizona, California, and Florida who had drowned in home swimming pools.
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five in those three states with a ranking of number two for over a dozen other states.
For every drowning, there are 11 near-drowning incidents, according to US government statistics, many of which result in totally disabling brain damage to the child.
The CPSC study found that 69 per cent of the accidents occurred while one or both parents were responsible for the child's supervision.
Sixty-five per cent of accidents took place in a pool owned by the childs family and 22 per cent at a relative's pool.
Almost 80 per cent of the children had been seen five minutes or less before being missed and subsequently discovered in the pool.
Almost half of the children were last seen in the house prior to being found in the pool.
Of these, 15 per cent were thought to be sleeping.
