SPLASHIN' IN SAFE FASHION MAKE FUN, NOT TRAGEDY, AIM OF LABOR DAY WEEKEND SWIMS.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD

Staff Writer

With triple-digit temperatures expected over the long Labor Day weekend in the San Fernando Valley, kids and adults will be flocking to pools to enjoy one last summer swim.

All the more reason, safety experts say, to be extra vigilant around backyard pools.

Even if adults are present, they may be more worried about overcooking the rib-eye than keeping a watchful eye on young swimmers.

Inattentive parents led to the drowning deaths of 29 children under the age of 4 in California pools in 2004, the last year for which the state has statistics.

"Labor Day weekend is the last big weekend in the swim season, when people are out having their parties," said Javier Payan, safety chairman for the Independent Pool & Spa Service Association. "We want people to continue to enjoy the pools, but at the same time you have to understand there are safety precautions you have to be aware of."

For example, he says, many adults always assume someone else is watching the kids during a party. One good practice is to designate a specific adult to watch the pool. If that person has to leave the pool area, they first need to find someone to take over.

The Web site www.waterwatcher.org provides free neck tags that can be used to designate that responsible adult.

Flotation can fail

Also, don't assume kids who have water wings or other flotation devices are safe on their own because such devices can accidentally deflate. In addition, rescue equipment, along with a telephone and a list of emergency numbers, should be kept outside near the pool.

And when pools are not in use, parents should keep backyard doors and outside gates locked and instruct baby sitters about potential hazards. Also, children's toys should be removed from the pool area when not in use.

After the summer ends and homeowners are looking to close their pools for the winter, they might want to consider installing additional safety equipment in the off-season, safety experts say.

For example, newer pools are required to have safer dual-drain systems that are less likely to trap children in the powerful suction force. But many older pools still have a single-drain system.

Those older systems can trap children underwater, especially if they have a broken cover. With the dual-drain system, if an object, such as a child's arm, blocks the suction opening, all the suction power switches over to the other, unimpeded drain.

Other equipment includes special fences around the pool that can be used to keep children out when it is not in use.

But even with all that equipment in place, simply keeping an eye on a child is always the best defense.

"There is no substitute for watching the kid," said Don Burns, CEO of the California Spa and Pool Industry Education Council. "You just can't rely on gadgets to take over your role."

Safety improvements and publicity have reduced the number of child drownings in California over the years. According to the state Department of Health Services, there were 121 toddlers younger than 4 who died of drowning in 1991, and of those, 70 drowned in pools. By 2004, 63 toddlers died of drowning, 29 in pools.

In the past 10 years, California has passed several laws placing stricter safety requirements on new pools, such as requiring the dual-drain system on new pools. A new law taking effect this year requires new pools to be built with at least one of several different safety features, such as fencing, water alarms that detect unauthorized entry or pool covers, Burns said.

Under current law, owners of older pools are not required to retrofit their pools with dual-drain systems. But next year, Burns hopes to sponsor a bill that will require homeowners of older pools to install the dual-drain system whenever they have structural work done on their pools.

The installation will add a few hundred dollars to the cost of already planned repair work, he said, but would be much more expensive if done on its own, independent of planned work.

Crowded pools likely

For those who haven't been invited to a private party this weekend, the city of Los Angeles maintains about 60 public swimming pools and 10 lakes, and local beaches are also available. To find one near you, download a brochure at www.laparks.org/dos/aquatic/pdf/aquatic--facility062303.pdf.

You may want to call ahead because about eight or nine city pools are typically closed at a time for repair work.

City Department of Recreation and Parks spokeswoman Jane Kolb said a heavy turnout is expected at local pools this weekend because of the hot weather.

After Labor Day, the city typically closes down its seasonal pools. But this year, Kaiser Permanente has given the city a donation that will allow 14 of the pools to stay open an extra two weeks, in addition to about 13 pools that remain open year-round.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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Pool safety tips

Easy measures:

Post and enforce rules such as: No running, no pushing, no dunking. Never swim alone.

Have rescue devices readily available.

Do not leave children alone near the pool. Never assume "someone else" is watching them.

Designate a responsible adult to watch the kids in the pool.

Keep a telephone near the pool with emergency numbers posted.

Long-term measures:

A dual-drain system to avoid suction injuries.

Child-proof fencing around the pool.

Pool cover.

SOURCES: Independent Pool & Spa Service Association; National Spa and Pool Institute; U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Marieka Kline of Topanga helps son Mattijes, 4, learn to swim at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center.

(2) A safety fence around a swimming pool keeps children out at times when adults are not there to supervise.

(3) Lifeguard Tyler Keene stays cool in the water while watching children play at the Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

Box:

Pool safety tips (see text)