A properly maintained pool helps prevent recreational water illnesses, keeping swimmers healthy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends patrons use portable test strips to check pool water for adequate chlorine and proper pH.

One of our favorite sites, Healthy Pools, is asking swimmers to test your pool, or commercial pools, to see if you are swimming in a healthy pool. Clever, right?

Thing is, this is MUCH more than just a free test strip giveaway. The site asks you to:

• Order Your Free Test Strips
• Measure the Chlorine and pH levels in your pool
• Submit your readings to their site, and compare your swimming pool with other pools in the US

We fully support this idea! We’ve heard cases of children being ill from excessively high chlorine levels, or people having severe skin irritations as a result of low pH levels. We also like the idea of being accountable for our work, and welcome any of our current clients to take part. We’re hoping others will join in, and at the very least, raise awareness for this very serious issue – especially in Orlando and surrounding areas (lots of pools around here).

Make sure you check out the graphs in the lower right side of the site. Below are the current swimming pool stats. I’m SHOCKED by the percentage of healthy vs. unhealthy pools.

Do you have any “unhealthy” pool stories? Share them in the comments below.

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Owning a swimming pool in Orlando means having great risks associated with it. One of the first things you should learn when owning a swimming pool is CPR, and luckily, there are courses available in the Lake Nona area. I am a certified lifeguard, but if you don’t practice, you tend to forget the steps needed to perform CPR, and considering your actions could have life or death consequences, it’s a good idea to have tools to help you remember.

Today I found a new app in the iPhone App Store called PocketCPR [iTunes link]. I looked through the screenshots, and didn’t really know what to expect, but what I found was an amazing app that is now a permanent fixture on my iPhone.

The app allows you to setup an emergency number that can be dialed with one touch, and also has instructions for performing CPR with or without breathing.

Once you select CPR instructions, the app begins speaking to you so you don’t have to worry about reading the screen. It very accurately walks you through the steps to perform CPR, insuring you don’t miss anything. Once you’ve performed the initial steps, and need to start doing chest compressions, the app details how to hold the iPhone, then it jumps to a screen where it uses the accelerometer to assist you in compression depth and speed. It truly is an amazing app!

If you own a pool, or visit a local swimming pool often, this app should be a no-brainer purchase. The app is $9.99, but can you really put a price on saving someone’s life? I created a short video showing the app in motion, but it came out blurry, and I misquoted the price, so forgive me for the mistakes.

If you have questions, write them in the comments section. If we run across any other pool apps we think you’ll enjoy, we’ll review those as well.

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Even though the weather is cooling off, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of safety concerns around a swimming pool. Here are 10 tips for swimming pool safety.

1. If your child is missing, check the pool first. If the unthinkable has happened every second counts.
2. If you’re little one already knows how to swim they should still always be supervised. Knowing how to swim doesn’t prevent accidents from happening.
3. Pool Alarms. These can be used as an added safety feature and they are made for doors and for underwater.
4. Are there empty homes on your street? Do they have swimming pools? This can be very dangerous even if the pool is empty. If you aren’t sure if there is a pool, try using Google maps (satellite view) to check out your neighborhood. An empty home with a pool can be a hazard that is easily prevented by a phone call to the owner or real estate agent. Simply ask them to please place a lock on the side gate to prevent the possibility of a child wandering back there.
5. Long hair and limbs can get caught in pool drains creating a risk for your young swimmers. Make sure that no pool drains are broken or missing. Even better, if your child has long hair, pin it up to prevent accidental suction. Know where your circuit breaker is for the pool/spa and label it clearly in the event it needs to be shut off during an emergency.
6. Have your child wear an approved safety device at all times while you are around the pool. Arm floaties can easily slip off when a child jumps in. A flotation device that is snug and goes around the torso is a better option.
7. Identify other areas besides pools that pose a threat. Things like small wading pools or plastic tubs can be enough to compromise the safety of your child.
8. If you have a play date, ask if the child knows how to swim. If the answer is no, take extra precaution to lock all doors leading to the pool. If you are taking your child to a play date ask if there is a pool.
9. If you are going to a park, find out if there is a pool and know where it is. Make sure that there isn’t a way that your child can get in to the area.
10. Pool fences should go around the entire pool and be at least 4 feet tall. There should be a secure latch and/or lock if your child can reach the opening.

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