By Eric Lupton, Safety Advocate and Life Saver Pool Fence President For many families, the holidays are a chance to hold a fun pool party with a few fun twists. Kids can dive for orange glow sticks, race around floating pumpkins or see who can collect the tree floaties!
No matter what games you play, parents need to make sure their little ones are safe around water. Avoid dangerous temptations like dying the water, turning off the lights or letting kids swim without supervision.
Here are 10-more tips to keep everyone safe using layers of protection.


had been seen by a parent 5 minutes or less before being missed and eventually found in the pool. For every child drowning, 11 children manage to survive – but many suffer a disabling brain damage.
You cannot drown-proof a child, but every layer of protection that you add significantly reduces the chance of a child drowning incident– the more, the better. Of those steps, pool safety fencing is arguably the most effective at preventing fatal drowning incidents because it physically prevents access to the pool, making your pool safer for your children and your neighbors.
You wouldn’t own a car without seat belts. Don’t own a pool without protecting it.
Eric Lupton is a tireless advocate for pool safety who speaks nationwide to spread the word about drowning prevention. He is the President of Life Saver Pool Fence which is recognized by the CPSC as a Safety Leader, and the country’s largest pool fence company with all its fences made entirely in the USA.
Before the Party
- Check your pool safety fence

Close doggy doors
Install locks on all doors and windows.
Learn CPR
During the Party
Assign Water Watchers

- Sit close to the pool so you can see everything
- Give your phone to a friend so you are not tempted to take photos
- No books, magazines, or tablets
- Do a regular headcount
- Step in when there is too much horsing around
Know the signs of drowning
- Head low in the water, mouth at water level
- Head tilted back with mouth open
- Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
- Eyes closed
- Hair over forehead or eyes
- Body is upright and vertical, but there is no leg kick
- Hyperventilating or gasping
- Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
- Trying to roll over on the back
- Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder
Consider child immersion alarms
After the Party
Remove toys after swimming
Check the fence

Set your alarms
Consider This
An average of 290 children under the age of five drown in pools and spas every year. In 77% of those cases, the child