Be safe at the pool this summer
By Gracie Shepherd Intern

Summer is a time everyone likes to head to the pool and have fun cooling off, but remembering key water safety tips can de-stress your time by the water.

Emily Williams has taught swimming lessons in Millen for six years and is a certified lifeguard with CPR and C-Spine training. She has taught upwards of 100 students how to swim, ranging from infants to adults in their fifties. Williams had some advice to share on water safety and preparedness. TOP TEN TIPS FOR POOL SAFETY
• No matter how well your child can swim, NEVER let them swim unsupervised!!!
• Get kids into the water at the youngest possible age. They will become more comfortable in the water
and will be less likely to develop a fear of it.
• If it's too cold for you, it's too cold for them. Children have less body fat than adults and are far more
succeptible to hypothermia.
• For older kids who know how to dive, NEVER allow them to jump in water that is less than 7ft deep.
Diving into shallow water can result in traumatic head/neck injuries, paralysis, or even death.
• Don't run! It's always slippery near the edges of the pool.
• If you have children over and you are unsure of their swimming skills level, make them do a swim test
before you allow them to enter the deep end. A simple underwater/overwater test will allow you to see if
a child is able to swim in water over his/her head.
• Have a rope or a clear marker of where the pool drop-off is.
• As mom always said, wait at least 30 min. after you eat before you swim.
• No excessive rough-housing.
• When jumping off the side or the diving board, jump straight out to the middle of the pool.