Drowning is often a "silent death" because a victim is usually unable to splash violently or call for help, as one might expect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children 1-14 years old, and an extensive study performed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that "75 percent of the children involved in swimming pool submersion or drowning accidents were between 1 and 3 years old." In addition, the CPSC's study revealed the following statistics:

1. Most of the victims were being supervised by one or both parents when the swimming pool accident occurred.

2. Nearly half of the child victims were last seen in the house before the pool accident occurred. Twenty-three percent of the victims were last seen on the porch, patio, or in the yard.

3. Sixty-nine percent of the children who became victims in swimming pool accidents were not expected to be in or at the pool, but were found drowned or submerged in the water.

Protecting children from drowning or becoming submerged in a backyard swimming pool requires more than just a single safety device or barrier. Providing "layers of protection" is the best strategy for keeping children safe in and around the pool area.

Pool Fence or Barrier

The first layer of protection is the barrier that surrounds the pool area

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