Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five in Florida, Arizona, and California with a ranking of number two for over a dozen other states.

Most of  these unfortunate deaths were preventable.  Nothing beats good adult supervision but as Mr. Murphy [Murphy's Law] taught us "stuff happens."

Help protect your children from drowning by doing the following:

• Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment.
• Maintain constant eye-to-eye supervision with children in and around the swimming pool and spa.
• Put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool.
• Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool.
• Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children can reach.
• Keep rescue equipment (such as a hook or life preserver) by the pool.
• Do not use air-filled swimming aids as a substitute for approved life vests.
• A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may add to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool.
• Teaching your child how to swim DOES NOT mean your child is safe in water.