KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — So your child has swim lessons and you feel confident to have them near the water this summer. But instructors want parents to understand--they have a responsibility too and can't just rely on swim lessons.
Swim instructors call it the "layers of protection". Each layer is meant as a follow-up if the one before it fails. No child is drown-proof.
So what are the layers? Let's break it down.
- The first is supervision.
"The most important thing. Having eyes on your child while they are in the water," explained Certified ISR instructor Korey Dye. "But that can fail. And drownings happen when parents don't expect their kids to be in the water."
- The next layer is your barriers. Like pool fences and alarms if a gate is open.
"You really need a mesh pool fence. There's a distributor called Lifesaver Pool Fence, they are great and recommended. The traditional fence is climbable and the mesh are not climbable and self-latching. So if the door is open, the door will close and relatch," said Dye.
- The third layer is swimming lessons.
"If that (barriers) fails you have the swimming lessons so your child knows what to do once they are in the water," said Dye.
- The final layer is CPR.
"You have your CPR to revive a child found unresponsive in the water," said Dye.
Dye highly encourages parents to take CPR lessons.
Interested in CPR? Here are several Knoxville options:
Here are some places that are offering swimming lessons: