Drownings are the second most frequent cause of death and disability in the WHO European region.  Near drownings are brought into Jersey's Accident 7 Emergency Department every summer.  Boys are two times more likely to drown than girls and the most vulnerable ones are children aged one to four years.

A drowning incident in the home takes many people by surprise, as it happens silently and within seconds in as little as 2 cm of water, in less time than it takes to answer the phone -  in fact the child who has drowned is normally noticed to be missing for less than 5 minutes.

It's not just your home's pool that could be a danger - be aware of your neighbours pools or when visiting friends and family - what is in their garden too.

Drowning risks are closely tied to child development.  Children under the age of five are attracted to water but lack a sense of danger.  They are top heavy and vulnerable to falling into water.  Young children's lungs are smaller than adults and fill quickly with water.

France has the largest swimming pool market in Europe with over 1 million pools and also had the highest rate of infant death by drowning in pools in the world.  Since swimming pool legislation was introudeced in 2003 this figure has dropped from 25 deaths in 2003 to 17 in 2004.

Four-sided fencing for private pools is an excellent way to prevent a drowning event.  Enclosing the pool is better than enclosing the property and the pool together.  The fence should be at least 1.1 meters high without footholds and with a secure, self closing and self-latching gate.  Pool alarms and pool covers should not be used in place of a four-sided fence.  Pool covers have been found to be an additional hazard for children as they try to walk on the cover and have submerged and were not visible, causing a delay in rescue.