Essential Tips for Safer, Smarter Pools
DROWNING PREVENTION AND water safety efforts are ongoing, and they require the collective efforts of both pool owners and professionals to educate and promote proper safety measures. By spreading the message, sharing resources and working with organizations like the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and NESPA, we can ensure a safe and enjoyable water experience for everyone involved.
LAYERS OF PROTECTION
To effectively prevent drowning incidents, it is crucial to implement multiple layers of protection. These layers of protection refer to various strategies and devices that can be put in place to keep individuals safe around pools, particularly young children, who are more vulnerable. By understanding and embracing different layers of protection, we can actively prevent tragedies and protect lives.Let’s take a few minutes to learn about the A, B, Cs of these layers of protection:A – Active Supervision: The first layer of protection is constant supervision around the pool, which is critical in ensuring the safety of children around water. It is essential never to leave children unattended near water. Parents must be fully aware of potential dangers in all environments, such as when their kids visit other homes, on vacation or at public/community pools.B – Barriers: Installing proper secure barriers and utilizing new technological safety systems can limit access to pools and other water bodies. Physical barriers, such as fences and gates, are important. However, it’s important to note that once the barrier is compromised, the risk of potential drowning increases. Therefore, it’s crucial to provide multiple barriers and regularly inspect and maintain barriers to ensure their effectiveness.C – Classes, CPR, and Water Safety Education: Swimming classes are a vital layer of protection for children and adults alike. Teaching children how to swim and about water safety rules can significantly reduce the risk of drowning. Additionally, learning CPR and basic water rescue techniques can equip individuals with life-saving skills in emergencies.
SMART TECHNOLOGY FOR SAFER POOLS
Advancements in technology have also played a significant role in ensuring pool safety. Artificial intelligence (AI) smart pool systems, in particular those that monitor, detect and notify for what matters in and around the pool, have contributed to reducing the risk of pool accidents and drowning incidents.When recommending smarter pool safety, consider these advanced pool technology and systems features:24/7 Live Pool Monitoring: AI smart pool systems that include advanced AI cameras provide 24/7 live video monitoring and can be viewed anytime and anywhere from mobile devices. Continuously monitoring in and around the pool areas helps ensure peace of mind by knowing the pool is always being watched and that loved ones are safe.Early Stage and Distress Detection: Technology systems capable of accurately detecting humans and pets from other moving objects help reduce false alarms that can be common with conventional pool alarms and motion-based cameras.Pool perimeter detection identifies if humans and pets get near and cross the perimeter of a virtual fence around the pool for early warning.Swimming distress detection in the pool helps reduce the fear of missing a critical event.Smart Pool Alarms: Traditional pool alarms, such as door/gate alarms, water surface sensors and motion sensors, have limitations in terms of reliability and high false alarm rates. Technologyassisted alarms that leverage advancements like AI can improve detection accuracy, limit false alarms and provide additional information beyond just an alarm. These various alarm options can be used in concert with each other to provide greater protection.When a person is detected near the pool or in swimming distress, these smart alarms can issue an audio and visual alert through a camera, siren and mobile apps. These smart alarm systems can quickly inform relevant individuals, including parents, homeowners, neighbors and first responders, ensuring the fastest response in an emergency.Smart alarms that meet pool alarm standards, like ASTM F2208-08 and UL2017, ensure compliance with pool barrier laws, especially for new pool builds. Alarms should be loud enough to be heard from a reasonable distance (85 decibels meets code) without becoming a nuisance or violating local noise ordinance laws. Such AI camera systems can also be used for construction to ensure safety when building a pool.Pool Health Insights: Advanced pool technology can also monitor and provide the pool’s health status and estimate its overall health to know if it is safe to swim in. AI technology can detect the color of the pool, track debris and notify whenever there’s a problem. Chemistry monitoring features can monitor the water’s chemical levels and identify potential issues like pH imbalances or low chlorine levels, ensuring a safe swimming environment.Easy Mobile and Secure Access: Pool safety systems with mobile apps on all platforms enable easy access to monitor pool activity and pool health from anywhere. An easy-to-navigate interface promotes regular usage. Secure access ensures data and privacy protection with multi-level encryption, building trust, protecting privacy and increasing confidence.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER
It is crucial to prioritize safety when enjoying a pool with friends and family. Adding layers of safety, such as pool alarms, fencing and supervision can help keep everyone safe while having fun. By utilizing technological advancements and following safety guidelines, you can help customers make informed decisions and choose the right pool safety technology and systems for their needs. Together, we can make a big difference and ensure the safety of our loved ones around water.
To read the article in Edge Magazine, click here.
Sai Reddy is the founder and CEO of CamerEye, a leading AI smart pool platform for advancing pool safety and wellness. Sai is an accomplished technology entrepreneur who previously was part of the founding team at PXiSE, an AI-based data software company that pioneered the use of prediction and smart controls for large renewable power plants. PXiSE was acquired by a giant automation manufacturer, Yokogawa, in 2020. Sai is an inventor of eight patents, featured in more than 15 publications and sits on several advisory committees, including ASTM, NDPA and PHTA. Contact CamerEye at [email protected], 800-906-2810 or visit their website at www.camereye.ai.