The Florida Department of Health, Injury Prevention Program provides the statewide coordination, and expansion of injury prevention activities (data collec-tion, surveillance, education, and the promotion of interventions) through and with communities, county health departments, and other state agencies with expertise and guidance in injury prevention.

4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A22Tallahassee, FL 32399-1722Phone: 1-877-362-5033

www.� oridahealth.gov/injury | www.WaterSmartFL.com

THE INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM

SUPERVISION

BARRIERS

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

LAYERS OF PROTECTIONis a drowning prevention awareness campaign developed by the Florida Department of Health, Injury Prevention Program. The statewide initiative promotes the importance of keeping children safe when at or near the pool by incorporating “layers of protection”: supervision, barriers, and emergency preparedness.

DOES YOUR POOL HAVE THE NECESSARY BARRIERS TO SAVE A CHILD’S LIFE?

• Over 90% of Florida’s home swimming pools were built before the law.

• The Florida Department of Health strongly recommends multiple barriers to help ensure safety and using “layers of protection” to help prevent drowning.

• Drowning is silent and only takes a minute.

• The monetary cost of drowning in Florida for a year is g reater than $15 million.

• The Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, F.S. Chapter 515, requires only one physical barrier for pools built after 2000.

FLORIDA LEADS THE COUNTRY IN DROWNING DEATHS OF CHILDREN AGES 1–4.

THE FACTS

Drow

ning

can

be

a si

lent

cat

astr

ophe

, one

that

can

hap

pen

in th

e fe

w m

inut

es y

ou ta

ke to

an

swer

a p

hone

cal

l

o

r run

insi

de fo

r

a

tow

el.

Expl

ore

Wat

erSm

artF

L.co

m

to le

arn

the

step

s yo

u ca

n ta

ke t

o se

cure

you

r po

ol a

nd

prot

ect

Flor

ida’

s ch

ildre

n.

Sup

ervi

sio

n, t

he �

rst

and

mo

st c

ruci

al la

yer

of p

rote

ctio

n, m

eans

so

meo

ne is

alw

ays

activ

ely

wat

chin

g w

hen

a ch

ild is

in t

he p

oo

l.

LAYE

R 1:

SU

PER

VISI

ON

A c

hild

sho

uld

nev

er b

e ab

le t

o en

ter

the

po

ol a

rea

unac

com

pan

ied

b

y a

gua

rdia

n. B

arri

ers

phy

sica

lly b

lock

a c

hild

fro

m t

he p

oo

l.

Bar

rier

s in

clud

e: c

hild

-pro

of lo

cks

on

all d

oo

rs, a

po

ol f

ence

with

se

lf-la

tchi

ng a

nd s

elf-

clo

sing

gat

es, a

nd d

oo

r an

d p

oo

l ala

rms.

P

oo

l cov

ers

may

als

o b

e us

ed b

ut m

ake

sure

it is

a p

rofe

ssio

nal

cove

r, � t

ted

fo

r yo

ur p

oo

l. A

sim

ple

can

vas

cove

ring

can

be

a d

row

ning

haz

ard

and

ent

rap

a c

hild

in t

he w

ater

.

LAYE

R 2:

BAR

RIE

RS

The

mo

men

t a

child

sto

ps

bre

athi

ng t

here

is a

sm

all,

pre

cio

usw

ind

ow o

f tim

e in

whi

ch r

esus

cita

tion

may

occ

ur.

But

onl

y if

som

eone

kno

ws

wha

t to

do.

Eve

n if

you’

re n

ot a

par

ent,

it’s

imp

ort

ant

to le

arn

CP

R. T

he

tech

niq

ues

are

easy

to

lear

n an

d c

an m

ean

the

dif

fere

nce

bet

wee

n lif

e an

d d

eath

. In

an e

mer

gen

cy, i

t is

cri

tical

to

have

a

pho

ne n

earb

y an

d im

med

iate

ly c

all 9

11.

LAYE

R 3:

EM

ERG

ENCY

PR

EPAR

EDN

ESS

The

Res

iden

tial S

wim

min

g P

oo

l Saf

ety

Act

(Cha

pte

r 51

5, F

lori

da

Sta

tute

s) r

equi

res

one

of

the

follo

win

g p

oo

l saf

ety

mea

sure

s fo

r p

oo

ls b

uilt

afte

r O

cto

ber

1, 2

00

0:

1.

A p

oo

l fen

ce w

ith s

elf-

clo

sing

, sel

f-la

tchi

ng g

ate—

encl

osi

ng

the

po

ol a

nd p

rovi

din

g no

dire

ct a

cces

s to

it.

2.

An

app

rove

d p

oo

l cov

er.

3.

Ala

rms

on

all d

oo

rs a

nd w

ind

ows

lead

ing

out

to

the

po

ol.

4.

All

do

ors

pro

vid

ing

dire

ct a

cces

s fr

om

the

ho

me

to p

oo

l to

hav

e a

self-

clo

sing

, sel

f-la

tchi

ng d

evic

e w

ith a

rel

ease

m

echa

nism

no

low

er t

han

54 in

ches

ab

ove

the

� oo

r.

The

Dep

artm

ent

of H

ealth

rec

om

men

ds,

at

a m

inim

um, u

sing

a

com

bin

atio

n of

the

bar

rier

s d

escr

ibed

ab

ove

to h

elp

ens

ure

your

po

ol i

s eq

uip

ped

with

ap

pro

ved

saf

ety

feat

ures

.

DO

ORS

Cha

pte

r 51

5 st

ates

tha

t al

l do

ors

p

rovi

din

g d

irect

acc

ess

fro

m t

he

hom

e to

the

po

ol s

houl

d h

ave

a se

lf-cl

osi

ng, s

elf-

latc

hing

dev

ice

with

a r

elea

se m

echa

nism

tha

t is

no

low

er t

han

54 in

ches

ab

ove

the

� oo

r.

COST

: $ $

DO

OR

/WIN

DO

W A

LAR

MS

Kno

w t

he s

eco

nd y

our

chi

ld

go

es o

utsi

de.

Cha

pte

r 51

5 st

ates

tha

t al

l do

ors

and

w

ind

ows

pro

vid

ing

dire

ct

acce

ss f

rom

the

ho

me

to

the

po

ol m

ust

have

an

alar

m.

COST

: $

POO

L SA

FETY

FEN

CES

Fenc

es s

houl

d c

om

ple

tely

en

circ

le t

he p

oo

l blo

ckin

g en

tran

ce f

rom

the

ho

use

or

yard

. The

fen

ce s

houl

d b

e at

leas

t 4

feet

hig

h an

d h

ave

no h

ole

s o

r g

aps

that

co

uld

al

low

a c

hild

to

pas

s th

roug

h.

COST

: $ $

$ $

$

SELF

-CLO

SIN

G AN

D SE

LF-L

ATCH

ING

GAT

ES

The

gat

e sh

oul

d b

e se

lf-cl

osi

ng,

self-

latc

hing

and

op

en o

ut f

rom

th

e p

oo

l. S

o ev

en if

the

gat

e is

no

t la

tche

d p

rop

erly

, a

child

le

anin

g ag

ains

t it

will

fo

rce

the

gat

e to

lock

.

COST

: $ $

$ $

LAYE

RS O

F PR

OTEC

TION

FLOR

IDA

REQU

IREM

ENTS

PHY S

ICAL

BAR

RIER

S

COST

LEG

END

: $

: 0–$

49

$

$: $

50–$

250

$

$ $

: $25

1–$5

00

$

$ $

$: $

501–

$100

0

$ $

$ $

$: $

1001

+

Lear

n th

e st

eps

you

can

take

to

prot

ect

Flor

ida’

s

child

ren.

Poo

l saf

ety

is e

very

one’

s re

spon

sibi

lity.

1-87

7-36

2-50

33 |

Wat

erSm

artF

L.co

m

The

pro

per

phy

sica

l bar

rier

s se

rve

as a

cru

cial

laye

r of

pro

tect

ion.

The

Dep

artm

ent

of H

ealth

rec

om

men

ds

inco

rpo

ratin

g a

num

ber

of

diff

eren

t b

arri

ers

to e

nsur

e sa

fety

. Ad

diti

ona

l rec

om

men

ded

phy

sica

l bar

rier

s ca

n b

e vi

ewed

at

Wat

erS

mar

tFL

.co

m. *

Th

e p

rice

s b

elo

w

are

for

esti

mat

ion

pu

rpo

ses

on

ly.