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For safety's sake, learn to swim

By Dong-Phuong Nguyen and Jared Leone, Times staff writers
In print: Friday, May 9, 2008

Boys will be boys. While Luca Lenton floats along, Blake Burleson lurks underwater, preparing to give his classmate a nudge. The 7-year-olds had just finished their swim lesson at LaFleur’s Gym and Swim on Anderson Road in Tampa.
	[DANIEL WALLACE | Times]

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Rick Polidoro still remembers vividly his visit to a Westchase family the day after their toddler survived a near-drowning in a backyard pool.

The family was so shaken by the experience that they seriously considered filling the pool in, said Polidoro, owner of Bay Guard Pool Service, which installs child safety fencing and performs pool maintenance.

"Kids are so fast, and you can't be everywhere," Polidoro said. "We all know that the phone rings. It only takes seconds for them to find water."

When installing pool fencing, Polidoro stresses that the fence and swim lessons go hand in hand.

"In your car, you have seat belts," he said, "but now they have air bags. On top of all that, it's defensive driving. You have to use all these things to really help yourself. It's the same thing with pool safety."

With pools prevalent at so many suburban homes these days, parents should do three things to ensure that their children are safe, according to Alan Messing, owner of SwimKids USA. They are:

• Make sure there is some sort of physical barrier, like a pool fence, latches on doors and a pool alarm.

• Assure that children have the skills to save themselves if they fall into the pool.

• Make sure a parent is certified in CPR and that there is a telephone near the pool.

SwimKids USA teaches children as young as a year old how to turn around to get back to the side of the pool or to get on their backs and rest, he said.

There is a misconception that parents aren't around when a child falls in a pool, Messing said.

"The reality of drowning is that parents are around but there is a distraction," he said. "There is someone at the door, a cell phone call, or something on the stove. And they just slip away for a few minutes."

Messing's school, along with many others, have a packed summer swim lesson schedule.

A list of swimming lessons in the area, Page 3