City Department Provides Pool Safety Tips

The Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections is reminding residents to stay safe while getting cool in the pool this summer.    

According to the International Residential Code, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five in America, a release from the department stated. 

“The key to preventing tragedy is to have layers of protection,” Commissioner Fran Burns said in the release.  “The owners of pools are required to install and maintain barriers.”     

Important tips: 

• Fences and walls should be at least 4 feet high and installed completely around the pool.  Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching.  The latch should be out of a small child's reach. 
• If the house forms one side of the barrier to the pool, then doors leading from the house to the pool should be secured with alarms that produce a sound when a door is unexpectedly opened. 
• For aboveground pools, steps and ladders to the pool should be secured or removed when the pool is not in use.
• Electric pumps and filters should be plugged into GFCI protected outlets to reduce the threat of electrocution. 

A building permit is required for all above ground pools 12 or more feet wide and for pools of all varieties deeper than two feet.  Generally, pools are not permitted in the front or rear yard of a property.

Residents who have questions about installing a pool should call 311, visit their local district office, or check out www.phila.gov/li.