Be Pool Safe this summer!

Published on 22 November 2021

With the weather warming up, Cessnock City Council has launched a campaign urging residents to Be Pool Safe this summer.

294 people drowned in Australian waterways and backyard pools between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021. Tragically, deaths among children aged 0-4 years increased by 108% compared with the previous year.

Cessnock City Council’s General Manager, Lotta Jackson would like to remind residents it is a requirement for all pools, including portable and inflatable pools, to be separated from the house and yard by a compliant pool barrier.

“Pool barriers are there to help protect young children from accessing the pool area when unsupervised.”

You must have a four sided fence around any pool or spa that can be filled with more than 30 centimetres of water. This includes inflatable and portable swimming pools. Portable or inflatable pools that have a capacity greater than 2,000 litres require Council approval.

“Sadly, 20 seconds and a few centimetres of water is all it takes for a child to drown. In the end, nothing can replace the constant supervision of children by a responsible adult,” added Lotta.

Here are some other important rules for pool owners:

• once finished using a portable or inflatable pool, empty and store them
• never prop open pool gates or remove latching devices
• pool fencing must be a minimum of 1.2m high (1.8m if the boundary fence is part of the pool fence)
• ensure the fence is not climbable - horizontal rails should be greater than 90cm apart and objects from around the barrier that provide a foothold must be removed
• ensure an up-to-date resuscitation (CPR) chart is visibly located within the pool enclosure and learn how to perform CPR
• all swimming pools must be registered - Council may issue fines of $220 for unregistered pools.

For further information regarding pool safety and fencing, visit our Backyard Pool Safety page.