Having a swimming pool in your back yard provides your family with a great, fun way to cool off and spend time together during the summer. Unfortunately, the presence of a swimming pool can be a safety issue – especially if there are young kids in the household or in neighboring homes. Here, you'll find a few tips to help you prevent accidental drownings in your family pool.

Install a Proper Fence

When you choose a fence to secure a swimming pool, it must be high enough and solid enough to prevent climbing. So, it's probably best to choose a vinyl or wooden fence style that is at least 6 feet high – chain link fencing might be one of the more affordable options, but it offers little security unless you install the added anti-climbing hardware which will make your property look more like a jail than a family's home.

Many people opt for vinyl fencing around swimming pools because it is so easy to keep clean. Unlike wood fencing, you won't have to spend days pressure washing and sealing the wooden fence every year – you'll just need to spray it down, maybe scrub a couple areas and you're ready for another year.

Install Motion Detectors

Motion detectors should be used around swimming pools to alert the owners when someone is approaching the pool. These detectors can be set up to sound an alarm, turn on a light and some of the newer models can even take a picture and send it to your smart phone.

If you're not home during the day, you can talk with your neighbors about the alarm – this way, if they hear the alarm when they know that you're at work, they know to check in to be sure that a neighboring child hasn't wondered into the swimming pool area of your property.

Gate Alarm

Another alarm that offers some protection is a gate alarm. Any gate leading to the pool should be equipped with an alarm that sounds the second the gate is opened. Some of these alarms will continue to sound after the gate has been open until you go to the gate to shut the alarm off. This ensures that alarms aren't ignored.

Talk with a local fencing company to learn more about how fencing and the additional features can improve the safety of your family's swimming pool. Your family, as well as the families around you will appreciate the extra safety measures you're taking.