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28 March 2024

Eid by the pool? How to keep the party (and everyone in it) alive

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Given the season, summer, Eid may well see a host of pool parties.

But, before you go inviting your children’s kiddie bunch for a splash party, there are a few safety steps that need to be kept in mind.

“The main concern is that parents end up focusing mainly on the word ‘party’ and less on the word ‘pool’. There isn’t much emphasis on the safety,” emphasises Tracy Fountain, Founder of Back to Basics.

“Even children who are considered as strong swimmers can quickly become at risk if the party is not managed correctly.”

Although she doesn’t have any official stats on the number of drowning cases in the UAE, she confirms that “drowning is the second highest cause of death in children of the UAE, first being road traffic accidents”.

Tracy lists out five basics that need to kept in mind while hosting a children’s pool party: “Firstly, every child guest must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

“Secondly, the hosts must check the swimming abilities of all kids and those supervising them.

“Thirdly, there should be at least one current first-aid trained person available at the party.

“Fourthly, kids must be closely monitored during the party, and lastly, the potential dangers and safety measures should be discussed with kids and parents before the party”.

The first-aid training company, in association with Yas Waterworld, offers free safety start-up kits, specifically for pool party hosts in Abu Dhabi.

Our “free safe pool party packs” contains party planner checklist, invitations, water monitor stickers, parents and kids briefing, poolside poster and whistle.

The water monitor stickers, Tracy explains, helps to label the parent who commits to supervise a set of children at the pool, and agrees not to leave the pool unless he hands over the duty to another parent.

“It's a pack for any parent who is planning on hosting a pool party where they can maintain fun whilst ensuring the safety of their children.”

And, Aramex ensures the packs are delivered for free to the doorstep.

Tracy also stresses on the importance of guardians learning CPR while handling children in the pool.

“It is absolutely necessary. There is a small window of intervention to increase the chance of survival of a drowning child/adult.

“It is often too late to wait for emergency services, so the aim is to keep the person alive whilst waiting for the ambulance to arrive.”

In fact, Tracy elaborates on the little knowledge over “secondary drowning” that can occur in a child 72 hours after being recused from drowning due to the amount of water collected in their lungs.

“It is crucial to take the child to be checked by a medic following any drowning-related incident.”

Even though the initiative kicks in only next week, they have received many requests. “We hope to deliver safety packs to Abu Dhabi parents throughout the summer.”

The pool party packs will be downloadable, for free, very soon on their website - www.backtobasicsuae.com - thus helping anyone involved in hosting children's pool parties.

 [Image via Shutterstock]

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