In our first installment of this article about pool parties, we discussed invitations, decoration ideas, food and treats, music and party supplies.
Let’s discuss now about safety measures and the various ways to avoid problems during and after your pool party.
Safety
When you are preparing to host a pool party, the safety of your guests –particularly the little ones– should be the priority. Careful planning of the decorations, foods, games, music and other activities isn’t the only thing that really matters. To prevent unfortunate accidents from happening, it is essential to pay attention to some preventative measures.
Measures to take:
- The fence of the pool must be self-locking and self-closing. It must be designed with vertical bars with less than four inches space apart. Make sure the gates open outward and away from the pool. See to it that kid proof latches sit high on the gate posts.
- Have kid-proof door locks installed on doors that open onto the pool area. This will help prevent children from heading to the pool area without adult supervision.
- A wireless or landline phone that is placed on the porch facing the pool or in the patio is a must. This is to ensure that you can contact 911 at once in case of an accident.
- You can even install an alarm that rings when someone enters the pool area or when the pool gate opens. This measure can help save a life.
Safety equipment
Make sure you have the following equipment to keep guests secure:
- Personal flotation devices like life-jackets (they must be age-appropriate)
- A full first-aid kit
- A life preserver
- Scissors which can be used to cut clothing or hair caught in a trap underwater
Other safety measures to consider include using safety pool lines to warn guests that the area is restricted or unsafe, and signs showing guests must know how to swim before they get in the pool.
Do not allow alcohol near the pool area. Avoid sports activities alongside the pool itself. And if you have a large pool and plan a large part, consider hiring a lifeguard.
If the surface of your pool deck is slippery, it is essential that you install plastic mats with a good gripping surface immediately around the pool to prevent guests and children from falling while playing. A fall can end a party in a heartbeat, and be very costly too.
After-party clean-up
A pool party is fun time with family and friends… but the real challenge comes after the party, when it’s time to clean up.
Here is how to avoid yourself a lot of unnecessary clean-up work:
- Install trash cans near the food table, and in a variety of places in your property, so that guests always have a trash can near them wherever they are standing. Place sturdy plastic bags in the trash cans for easy removal to a local dump.
- Use paper plates, paper napkins, solo cups and plastic silverware that guests can throw away.
- Put a large paper throw over your food table so that you only have to lift it and throw it away, thereby avoid to have to scrub the table or to do laundry the next day.
- Set up mats, towels and rugs near the doors leading to the pool area: mats will avoid your guests to bring soil inside your home when coming back from your backyard. Rugs and towels will act as drying stations for kids.
Pool chemicals
Pool parties mean germs and bacteria growth. Kids do not always have clean feet, and they may even pee in your pool. Check your pool chemicals before the party. Take water samples from your pool deep-end and adjust your pH and chlorine levels. It is probably a good idea to increase the chlorine slightly above its regular level.
If your pool has algae, shock it before the party and back-wash it as needed.
Insurance
Unfortunately, we live in a litigatious society. Parents whose children break a bone or injure themselves in other ways on your property during your pool party may sue to recover medical costs. Guests of a less savory character may even sue for damages if they are injured and feel you ought to have taken some precautionary measures you had not thought about.
Call your insurance agents, inform them of the upcoming pool party, and give them the information they need to ensure they put your insurance coverage at the right level for the event. This type of insurance should cost you little money and would prevent big headaches in case of a problem.
In some circumstances, hosts ask guest parents to sign a release with the RSVP of the invitations if they want their children to be invited. Such a legal release is a helpful tool to limit your liability in case of an accident.
Security personnel
With the increase in the number of incidents where deranged people use firearms to commit murders in public places, it is not over-the-top to consider hiring a cop to stand guard during your party. It is especially true if you invite a lot of guests, as the more guests you have, the more your party can attract unwanted attention.
About Cimarron Circle: We have been building pools in Tucson and neighboring cities since 1978. We specialize in high-end custom pools but we also build family pools as traditional as kidney-shaped pools. Call us at (520) 881-2777 to discuss your project. We’ll be glad to help you define it, engineer it, and build it.