Inflatable Pools Pose Many Safety Risks

Inflatable News

1.Inflatable Pools Pose Many Safety Risks -- Unlike Underground Swimming Pools, These Pools Rarely Have Safety Standards

(CBS) NEW YORK They're a summertime fixture in many neighborhoods and just like any body of water, inflatable pools pose the risk of drownings. Unlike underground swimming pools, which have strict fencing guidelines, these pools rarely have safety standards.Chirese Nirmberg was the mother of a 3-year-old son. She bought a soft-side pool for a birthday party three summers ago. No one saw young Matt slip out of the house.

"We had it just over a month before we lost Matt. I walked outside and walked out of our embankment and saw my husband knelt over him on the ground, giving him mouth to mouth," stated Chirese.Their son drowned that day and Chirese says she thinks of Matt everytime she sees a portable pool unfenced in someone's yard.

Alan Korn is with the National Safe Kids Campaign. "The same barriers should be applied to above-ground pools as they do for in-ground pools," said Korn.The National Safe Kids Campaign seeks manufacturers to issue warnings about the need for fencing. Other safety advocates have already called for universal pool standards, regardless of whether it's underground or inflatable.Currently, most manufacturers just suggest emptying inflatable pools when they're not in use."They're less convenient to empty each time after a use like wading pools," says Korn.

A new report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows few communities require fencing for inflatable pools.A bill currently in the New York State legislature proposes a safety task force committee that would research whether inflatable and underground pools should have the same safety standards.Most New Jersey communities don't have any fencing laws for inflatable pools.The National Safe Kids Campaign also points out most inflatable pools don't have filters to recirculate the water. That can lead to contaminated water and bacteria, which is another reason to make sure that water is emptied frequently.

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