Course teaches 'Pool Essentials'

With the recent string of drownings across the Lowcountry, pool owners are searching for ways to make their backyards safer.

According to a recent American Red Cross survey, 10 percent of Americans have had an experience where they nearly drowned in a private pool.

The Red Cross and National Swimming Pool Foundation are offering an online program to inform owners of the importance of pool safety as well as pool maintenance. The Home Pool Essentials: Maintenance and Safety course has an enrollment fee of $19.95. The two-hour interactive course features videos, exercises, quizzes and a downloadable resource guide to access for six months.

The course offers a wealth of information on how pools work and how to maintain pools while reducing costs. The importance of pool maintenance is sometimes understated even though poor water quality can lead to eye irritation, ear infections and skin rashes, according to Thomas M. Lachocki, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the National Swimming Pool Foundation.

"People don't invest in a pool because they wish to do maintenance. They invest to create fun and warm memories, and to enjoy exercise in the privacy of their backyard pool. Understanding how a pool works and how to properly maintain the water saves time, saves money and makes the pool safer," said Lachocki.

The program also teaches important safety information, such as how to respond to emergency situations, use safety equipment and prevent potential pool and hot tub entrapment.

"This course helps owners understand the risks and helps raise their awareness for what they can do, such as the types of access barriers that are recommended, to the types of rules that they should set for those who use their pool, and the additional knowledge and skills they should have so they know how to respond in an emergency," said Connie Harvey, manager of aquatics technical development for the American Red Cross preparedness and health and safety department.

There already have been seven recent drownings in the Lowcountry, three of which involved children.