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Incidents of children drowning in home swimming pools are still a haunting problem, and news is renewed every summer, leaving innocent victims who were led by their childhood recklessness to swim without caring about safety measures, especially in light of the neglect of supervision by families.
“Al-Bayan” The old and renewed case was presented to officials in the civil defense departments, municipalities, ambulance, parents and jurists to come up with solutions to stop the bleeding of children drowning in domestic swimming pools, and came up with 20 lifelines that, if taken care of, can besiege the phenomenon, as conducted by “Al-Bayan” » Recently, in a survey of readers' opinions on ways to contain the phenomenon, the majority of them confirmed that containing the drowning incidents of children in home swimming pools requires intensifying control over them.
These precautions are represented in: placing a security fence around the swimming pools in the homes to prevent children from entering them on their own, and that the floor of the swimming pools be non-slip, and that the floors of the swimming pool be of a light color, and lock the doors leading to the swimming pools when not in use, and supply the swimming pools With fixed ladders and metal handles distributed around its perimeter, and parents not being preoccupied with phones while their children are swimming, and providing children with collars, tools and life jackets while swimming, and teaching children survival skills in the water through swimming lessons, as well as parents learning the principles of first aid, not Attention to the aesthetic shape of the swimming pool at the expense of prevention and safety requirements, and to cover the swimming pool with a net when not in use to prevent children from infiltrating into it, and not to leave young children in the pool alone and unattended even for a moment, and the need to immediately contact civil defense and ambulance in emergency cases, and prevent children from entering without 3 years to swimming pools, introducing amendments to the conditions for approving the construction of home swimming pools, approving all plans for public and private swimming pools before starting to build the swimming pool, intensifying awareness of families by the concerned authorities about safety measures, educating children on the importance of going to home swimming pools with the presence of a guardian who cares for them and follows them up And providing the home ponds area with cameras, and in the event that the swimming pool is in a closed place, good ventilation must be provided for the place.
Avoid dangers
The General Command of Civil Defense at the Ministry of Interior stressed the importance of taking the necessary precautions to ensure avoiding the dangers that threaten children from the presence of swimming pools in home gardens, which were built for the purpose of enjoyment, stressing that the responsibility of public safety in private swimming pools, which are established in homes, It is the responsibility of the owner of the swimming pool, and that any accident that occurs in it is his responsibility as it is within the facility owned by him.
Dubai Ambulance
In turn, Khalifa Al-Dari, Executive Director of the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, confirmed that the corporation received 66 reports of drowning in 2019, stressing the importance of monitoring children, especially children, and not allowing them to go to swimming pools on their own, especially in the absence of a pool observer for fear of drowning. Al-Dari stressed the need for observers and supervisors of swimming pools to be present in the residential towers to teach and train novice children, to avoid children from drowning, as well as closely monitoring the pool by these trainers.
Building swimming pools
In addition, members of the Federal National Council stressed the need to introduce amendments to the conditions for approving the construction of home swimming pools, obligating contracting companies and homeowners to build home swimming pools according to requirements that include the presence of a fence surrounding the pool, or advanced sensors, that send an alert to parents in the event A person entering the swimming pool, as is the case with fire detection systems and others. They explained that modern technology and the great development that the world is witnessing today has created a great innovative environment that we must all use and adapt to serve homeowners, especially those that have home swimming pools, in a way that contributes to preserving the safety of all its residents.
Dherar Hameed Belhoul Al Falasi, a member of the Federal National Council, said: What we have seen of the recurring incidents of children drowning in home swimming pools indicates a lack of awareness among parents of the importance of effective supervision of their children, and it may be due to clear negligence on the part of some of them, although they know what These swimming pools contain dangers for children from frequenting them unsupervised. He added: Most of these swimming pools are built on the basis of searching for the cheapest prices, ignoring the importance of following the necessary security measures in their construction, and safety requirements to prevent drowning cases, and from this point I refer to those companies and contractors working in this field to be obligated by the authorities It is concerned with the need to design these swimming pools on the basis of the standards and conditions of security and safety, and to present a certificate proving this upon the completion of the project.
Al-Falasi stated: The responsibility for drowning children rests with parents in the first place, so I call on parents to apply strict supervision over their children in order to protect them from the danger of drowning and preserve their lives, so that it is not a recurring phenomenon that affects the national and societal fabric. And he continued: What we find necessary is that it is important to intensify the concerned authorities’ awareness of families through the mechanisms of dealing with swimming pools and important safety measures, and to educate children about the importance of frequenting these home swimming pools with the presence of a guardian who cares for them and follows them up.
Cooperation
Osama Al-Shaafar, a member of the Federal National Council, stressed that reducing the drowning accidents of children in home swimming pools requires the cooperation of all parties, starting from the family and ending with government and private agencies. He said that taking the necessary measures and precautions to avoid exposure to the risks of drowning, which increase during the summer, particularly with the summer holidays, referring to the causes of drowning of children to their use of home pools on their own without family supervision, calling at the same time to monitor the children inside the swimming pools, not to be distracted by them, and to follow the procedures Preventive and security and safety requirements. He called for surrounding swimming pools in homes with a fence of at least one and a half meters, and made the matter mandatory and within the requirements for licensing villa swimming pools.
Dr. Moza Muhammad Saeed Hamrour Al-Amiri, a member of the Federal National Council, explained that the current period that the world is witnessing as a result of the “Corona” pandemic, which obligated many to stay at home, in addition to entering the summer season and the usually accompanying rise in temperatures, contributed In increasing the demand for swimming in home pools, and despite the importance of swimming for all members of society, it may turn into dangerous sites lurking for children, in the event that their families do not pay attention and neglect their duties in following up their children.
5 steps to save a drowning person
Dr. Mariam Al-Mansoori, who specializes in emergency medicine at the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, said: The correct way to save a drowning person includes 5 steps:
First: Seek help from lifeguards at beaches and swimming pools.
Second: Call the ambulance at 999 or 998 to report a drowning case.
Third: If a person wishes to help a drowning person, he must be a good swimmer and qualified in rescue operations.
Fourth: The rescue operation is by holding the drowning person from behind and pulling him up while swimming.
Fifth: When the drowned person arrives at the beach, 3 signs must be checked: the patient's response, breathing, and pulse. We have guides who direct the correct procedures in first aid until the ambulances arrive, and we must know that prevention is better than cure, so please follow the safety instructions in recreational areas.
Dr. Maryam Al-Mansoori indicated that there is a common culture among most people about how to save a drowning person, and this method is wrong, and it can lead to complications and unfortunately the death of the drowning person, and most people in drowning cases raise the drowning man, so that his head is at the bottom, thinking that this The method helps him get rid of the water, which he swallowed, and this is a wrong method.
Parents: Negligence and poorly designed swimming pools are the main causes of drowning
A number of parents explained that while families are keen to build home swimming pools in the face of the extreme heat in the summer, they should be fully aware of the precautions they must take to protect their children from drowning, the most important of which is the availability of security and safety conditions in the design and construction of home swimming pools. Residents' residences, pointing out that the neglect of some families for their children inside the swimming pools is on the top of the causes, in addition to the poor engineering design of some domestic swimming pools.
Salmeen Al Shamsi called on families who own swimming pools in their homes to tighten control over their children, monitor them around the clock, strengthen preventive measures, take safety precautions, educate family members, and warn their children of the danger of going to swimming pools that are not appropriate for their age. He added: I have built a swimming pool in my house surrounded by a safety system and its requirements, and my children, without my presence, are never able to go down to the pool or use it. I suggest that families make sure to cover the surface of the pool after swimming with a material that can bear the weights, or to surround the home pool with a wall in order to preserve the security and safety of the children in the house.
Backfilling of the swimming pool
Salem Mohammed Al-Kaabi confirmed that he filled the swimming pool in his house, especially after the children repeatedly descended into the pool without supervision, for fear of the possibility of drowning. Al-Kaabi called for the need for the competent and concerned authorities to impose the design of home swimming pools to include all security and safety requirements, and to require the contractors to have a barrier when constructing these swimming pools. He made a point that every family should adhere to an idea to protect their children from the risk of drowning.
Saeed Al Qubaisi said: I believe that it is necessary for these swimming pools to include a barrier that encircles them so that it effectively prevents the easy access of children to them, in the form of completely closed swimming pools, which will effectively prevent children from falling into them in case the parents are inattentive to them.
Ali Al-Saadi pointed out the importance of families' awareness of the importance of adhering to public safety standards and conditions in the event of a desire to establish home swimming pools, and taking into account the safety and security of children in particular. Al-Saadi added: “There are many things that families should not overlook if they also wish to provide a swimming pool. Life jackets must be provided and equipped, or the pool must be surrounded by a fence, and requirements must be set in home swimming pools to ensure that children’s lives are not endangered, and that family members or Some of them even know how to swim.
Harib Belhaima Al-Dhaheri emphasized that drowning incidents of children are repeated during the summer. Al-Dhaheri added: I was keen to provide security and safety requirements for the swimming pool in my house, by specifying a certain depth, and if it was used by children, control would be intensified immediately. I believe that it is necessary to allocate a room away from the pool and the children’s reach for the electric pool equipment, and the need to wash the pool periodically with a special chlorine to sterilize it from bacteria, and to prevent the formation of algae in it.
Law
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Moza Al-Shoumi, Deputy Director of the Emirates Society for Child Protection at the Ministry of Community Development, explained that Article 56 of the Child Rights Law stipulates that the competent authorities and concerned parties coordinate with the Ministry of Community Development to define special engineering standards and specifications, building codes, safety and security requirements, Which protects the child from any kind of harm, provided that the executive regulations specify the necessary controls for this. She added that the article provided for setting the necessary controls and procedures for the safety of the child in public and recreational places and means of transportation, and the executive regulations specify these required controls and procedures.
And she continued, “Article 60 stipulates that anyone who violates a provision of the second clause of Article 35 of the Child Rights and Dimah Act shall be punished with imprisonment or a fine of no less than 5,000 dirhams,” explaining that the competent authorities in the country bear the responsibility for monitoring the child’s rights. Swimming pools, and ensuring the application of security and safety standards in them, to avoid the recurrence of the death of children by drowning inside them.
She indicated that if a swimming pool is established in residential villas, the homeowner must close his house and not leave it open for children to enter the swimming pool.
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Attorney and legal advisor Ali Musabih Dahi said that the Child Law “Wadimah” provides for the protection of children from all manifestations of neglect, noting that the law stipulates that: The competent authorities and concerned parties preserve the child’s right to life, survival and development, and provide all necessary opportunities To facilitate this, it also works to protect the child from all manifestations of neglect, exploitation, ill-treatment, and any physical and psychological violence. It is worth noting that Article 35 of the Child Rights Law “Wadimah” stipulates that it is prohibited for the person in charge of the child’s care to expose him to rejection, homelessness, neglect, or the habit of leaving him without supervision or follow-up, or abandoning his guidance and direction, or not taking care of his affairs, or Not enrolling him in an educational institution, or leaving him in the event of unjustified interruption from education during the compulsory education stage.
Responsibilities
Naameh Al Shamsi, a family counselor, said that the responsibility for the death of children by drowning, whether in home swimming pools or in clubs and hotels, is borne by the parents, stressing first the need to prevent them from swimming without a watch, and secondly the need for homeowners and residential buildings to take the maximum measure Possible precautions, and the application of additional standards, to make swimming pools safe.
Specifications
Dubai Municipality confirmed that its Health and Safety Department approves all plans for public and private swimming pools in the emirate before starting to build the pool, in order to ensure that the highest specifications and health and safety requirements are followed in the pools, which include pool dimensions, depth, necessary safety requirements, cleanliness and filtration. And sterilization during the construction period, knowing that the service is available on the municipality’s website, and it can be applied for according to the announced requirements and procedures.
The municipality is keen to prepare and implement awareness campaigns on a continuous and periodic basis to educate the community about the guidelines that must be followed in swimming pools.
duties
The Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities in Abu Dhabi stressed the responsibility and duties of the swimming pool operator, which is not to operate the swimming pool without obtaining a license, to operate the pool and its accessories and maintain it periodically, and to place a line of a different color and clear thickness of 10 cm on the inner wall of the pool at a change point The depth of the basin, at a depth level of 1.50 meters, and at the stairs submerged in water, and the installation of the main drains, and the basin is equipped with at least one vertical staircase or ladder, and the stairs and barriers are installed.
Abu Dhabi Police warns against ignoring safety instructions
Abu Dhabi Police confirmed that drowning children in swimming pools is the most common cause of psychological problems for parents and those around them, warning against indifference and ignoring safety instructions in this regard.
Families warned of the danger of leaving children unattended in swimming pools, stressing the necessity of accompanying them and intensifying supervision over them in order to avoid drowning accidents.
She explained that negligence is a major cause of children drowning, which requires not being distracted from them, pointing to the need to provide swimming pools with fixed ladders and metal handles distributed around their perimeter.
She added that many children drowning accidents occur because of their use of swimming pools on their own, the family's neglect of supervising them in the depth of the water, the lack of knowledge of swimming, the risk of slipping from the floor surrounding the pool, and the lack of a fence around the pools.
She stated that leaving children under 3 years old alone in the swimming pools of homes or buildings and various facilities exposes them to drowning accidents, stressing the importance of taking this matter into consideration in order to preserve their safety.
She emphasized the necessity of wearing swimming equipment and providing children with collars, tools and life jackets while swimming.
Dubai Police: zero cases since the beginning of the year
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Abdullah Al-Qasib Al-Naqbi, Head of the Marine Rescue Department at Dubai Police, warned of the danger of leaving young children from two to 10 years of age unattended to go into the swimming pool, which exposes them to drowning and losing their lives in moments. And he said that no cases of drowning of children in home swimming pools were recorded from the beginning of the year until the end of last July, due to the conditions of the Corona pandemic, which imposed on everyone being at home all the time, which means that there is direct supervision by parents over their children, noting that neglect and violation of specifications In the construction of home swimming pools and failure to provide the basics of prevention and safety, the most important reasons for the occurrence of accidents of children drowning in their homes, whether inside villas, buildings or residential complexes.
Lt. Col. Al-Naqbi added the need for a person accompanying the child while entering the pool, as well as the need to build high walls and barriers around the pool to ensure that the child does not fall into the pool without the attention of the parents to prevent more accidents, especially since some parents design the swimming pools as a kind of home decoration without taking the requirements It is necessary, especially in the presence of infants. Also, there are families who leave and neglect swimming pools until insects and tree leaves gather in them, which sometimes prevents noticing the presence of drowned people in the pool.
Al-Naqbi pointed out the necessity of having a rescue cordon in the corners of the pool, as well as providing life jackets, or surrounding the pool with a fence, and setting requirements in home swimming pools to ensure that children’s lives are not endangered, and that family members or even some of them are familiar with swimming for quick intervention, stressing The importance of having cameras covering the pool area and monitoring it constantly, noting that some families build swimming pools with depths of up to 3 meters without any high barriers, which increases the risk of drowning for children of all ages.
He said that families should do everything in their power to take care of their children, and educate their members, especially children, about the danger of going into a swimming pool without taking the necessary safety measures, noting that if it is proven that there is willful negligence on the part of the parents, servants, or the accompanying person For the child during drowning, the death is transferred to a criminal case, and the charge of endangering the lives of others is charged to the person accompanying the child at the same time of death.
Recommendations
01 Tightening standards for accreditation of home swimming pools
02 Intensify awareness campaigns for families and children
03 Increasing punishment for families who neglect their children in swimming pools
04 Periodic inspection of swimming pools to ensure safety measures
05 Linking the residence construction license to the home swimming pool safety controls, if any
06 Conducting first aid courses for families.
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