1. Invest in a cordless telephone that you can use while around the pool. More accidents have resulted from telephone calls distracting parents from any other cause.

2. Learn CPR! You must know what to do for a small child or infant as well as for an adult. It is not complicated and properly done may save the person from certain death. Call the Red Cross your local hospital, or the YWCA or YMCA for training.

3. When moving into a new neighborhood, find out who has a pool or small body of water and let them know that you have an active small child who loves to explore. Keep track of pools being built.

4. Before going to a party with a small child, ask if there is a swimming pool. Coordinate who is going to watch the child. Plan your time. Do not assume someone is watching for you.

5. Do not leave a small child in the bathtub by himself. Children have drowned in a very small amount of water. Do not leave a bucket of water or other cleaning liquid by an infant's crib. Infants have fallen into buckets and drowned.

6. Do not trust small children to watch other small children or to baby- sit while you're away. Always find a babysitter who know how to swim and appreciates water safety.

7. If obtaining a pool cover, make sure it is automatic instead of the sectional solor type and that adults as well as children can walk on it.

8. If possible, have a five foot fence, preferably wrought iron, built around the pool so you can see through it. The width between the poles should be no more than 3 inches.

9. Secure sliding glass doors with strong metal pins and lock in place. Do the same for all screens as well as the window of the child's room.

10. Do not trust locked gates to the pool. Make sure children know pool safety rules and can call 911 for help. Practice an emergency situation. Teach even small children their address in case they have to call for help.

11. Do not drink alcholic beverages around children or adults while swimming or boating. The combination of sun and alcohol have been known to cause pool and boating accidents.

12. Do not think your child is "water safe" because he has had swimming lessons. Small children still can become hypothermal and lose their ability to swim.

13. Most importantly, if an accident occurs do not stop CPR until the person is taken to the nearest medical facility. Every second counts and the brain cannot be sustained without oxygen for longer than 4 minutes.

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