According to the Center of Disease Control, drowning is fifth among the leading causes of unintentional death in America. Just about every day, ten people die from drowning and of the 10, two of them are 14 years old or younger.”

Most victims drown because of a lack of ability to swim, lack of supervision while swimming, or the absence of barriers around pools.

Jim Parker, Zoning Manager with Lafayette Consolidated Government says there are barrier regulations in place for pool owners in the city of Lafayette. “Pools are required to be enclosed by a gate a minimum of 5 feet in height with openings no wider than 4 inches.”

Even the access point to the pool must meet certain requirements. “It’s required to have a self-closing and self-latching feature,” says Parker

Not following the guidelines, could put you in the cross hairs of authorities. “We wind up with someone that does not build a fence, it can be turned over to the city court.”

For more information about drowning statistics and pool safety, log onto the CDC website at CDC.gov.