Officials stress pool safety

Pools are a place for relaxation and fun during the warm summer months.

But hidden dangers lurk beneath those refreshing waters.

From 2002 to 2006, there were 430 unintentional drownings in Virginia. While the vast majority happened in a natural body of water, dozens occurred in swimming pools.

"Anytime you have water around, whether it's for recreation purposes or not, a lot of times it's taken for granted, and you can't take it for granted because it's dangerous," said Henrico County fire Capt. Chris Buehren.

On Wednesday, a 2-year-old boy drowned in what Chesterfield County police are calling an unfortunate accident that did not involve any apparent negligence.

"We're still investigating it, but preliminarily that's what it looks like," said Chesterfield police Capt. Terry Patterson.

Police did not release the child's name.

"The child was watching TV and apparently just slipped out the front door undetected and made his way onto the raised deck around the back, which [has] an above-ground pool," Patterson said.

As summer nears, pool safety is at the forefront for public-safety officials.

Chesterfield Battalion Chief Robby Dawson and Henrico's Buehren said pool drownings are rare in their counties.

Last year, most drownings occurred in the unpredictable James River. Dawson and Buehren said pools can be just as dangerous.

"We see it every summer. Small kids, particularly, are unattended near the pool, and that's where they run into problems. They fall in, they can't get themselves out, they don't know how to swim," Dawson said yesterday.

Programs are in place in the county to help children learn pool safety.

Chesterfield is holding a Cadet Safety Camp, in which one of the goals is to teach children "how to be safe around a pool and how to respect it," Dawson said.

In Henrico, Bonnie Conner-Gray, the county's educational specialist for health, physical education and driver education, secured a federal 21st Century grant for an after-school program at Wilder Middle School to provide swimming lessons to students.

Conner-Gray said teaching children how to swim plays a part in becoming a "safe citizen for life."

"They're probably going to be exposed to water at some time in their life; that's one of the key life skills that every person needs to have," she said.

Pool safety extends beyond the water in the pool. Buehren said serious injuries can occur if someone slips around the pool and hits his or her head on the concrete.

"Whether someone is playing in it, around it, or beside it, it's very important that people remember to use caution," he said.

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .

Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or .

Pool safety and drowning prevention