Water Safety issues are important at Rivers, Lakes, Bathtubs, Pools etc. all year round. However, this time of year safety at public pools and home based pools is especially important. Here are some helpful tips to increase your abilities to prevent accidental injury or death this Summer:

" Have a fence all the way around your pool.

" Make sure the gate is closed at all times so that children can stay out when they are not supposed to be there

" If you have a plastic wading pool, make sure it is emptied immediately after the children are done playing with it. Some accidents happen because water was left in these pools and the kids fall into them later.

" In Underground, Full Sized Pools, make sure that you have the most modern of drainage systems. The newer drains are a lot safer and are better equipped to not inadvertently pull someone in.

" Swim for no longer than an hour and then rest for a half hour or so.

" Make sure that your children know that they are not to get into the pool without an adult being able to physically see them. Also, make sure that a swimming buddy is present with them.

This last rule is especially important. The best way to prevent accidental drownings and near fatal injuries is to educate your child and yourself.

" Educate your child (repeatedly) that they are not to go into any water without an adult that can see them.

" Educate your child that they should also not go into the water without a swimming buddy.

" Educate your children. If they are young, see if you can get them into an Early Swim/Floating Class where they can learn how to float and reach for the side of a pool.

Your assignment as adults:

" Train yourself to always be watching your child at a pool, even in a social setting.

" Train yourself to make sure that there is a designated adult who is watching all of the children at the pool (even if it's not your party.

" Train you and your spouse to have a quick signal for each other (text perhaps) to look for your son/daughter.

It is vital that you take your training as seriously as your child's. We as adults are harder to train and learn. For instance, although I know I should, I have a hard time not taking seconds from the dinner table. I know that may come as a shock (ha ha), but it's true.

Forty years ago, lights at crossways were introduced. It took many years of training, but now our society is so trained that we know, virtually from birth, that we are not to cross the street without the light being green and that kids are to have a hold of the parents/grandparents hand. If we take educating ourselves this seriously when it comes to water, we can actually train our society to treat water safety with the same respect and save lives.