Safe bathing season

Funny song explains the dangers for children

The best time for children to learn to swim is at kindergarten age. Children should also not be allowed to splash around in swimming pools unsupervised. This can quickly lead to an accident with a tragic outcome.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com/Romolo Tavani, Birgit Antoni/ÖVS)

After the rather wet and cold days of the last two weeks, the weather is now showing its friendlier side again, with 30 degrees Celsius and more forecast for next week. This means that the swimming season, which has already started, can finally continue. Just in time, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber has launched a musical campaign for more safety around swimming pools.

"Today we're at the pool, because the pool is cool", sings the cheerful female voice in the chorus of the "Puhuhul Sommer Song". The song, which lasts just under two minutes, is accompanied by rhythmic guitar, xylophone and rattle sounds, with a children's choir joining in in the background. As much as the song radiates good humor, it is based on a serious theme.

Johann Poinstingl, President of the Austrian Swimming Pool Association, explains the initiative: "Water has a fascinating effect on people. Our first step with this song is to encourage the youngest children to come into contact with this precious element so that they can move around safely in it. To ensure that swimming fun remains a carefree experience for everyone involved, young and old, it is advisable to practice the right behavior in and around the water together from an early age."

Pool safety measures

• Never let children out of your sight!
• Never delegate supervision to other (even older) children.
• Structural safety measures in the garden: safety fence or safety sliding hall and useful aids such as a pool alarm or a safety tarpaulin
• Swimming aids for children as additional equipment
• Swimming lessons, preferably from kindergarten age
• Remove toys from the edge of the pool and the surrounding area so that they do not attract children.

These behaviors can also be found in a children's book published by the ÖVS entitled "Ein Puhuhul im Garten", in which Max's parents explain to their son what he needs to watch out for, because: "Water is very beautiful, but also dangerous." Max delivers this message to his cuddly bear Bozo, who again warns all the other cuddly toys in the children's room. The "Puhuhul Sommer Song" is therefore the musical accompaniment to this educational book, which is to be sent to 2,400 kindergartens across Austria, i.e. 70,000 children.

According to the Austrian Road Safety Board, seven percent of the Austrian population cannot swim properly. That is around 600,000 people affected. Apart from traffic accidents, drowning is still the most common cause of fatal accidents involving children.