City of Windsor offers safety tips for those turning to the pool to keep cool

Central Pool on Woodland Avenue in Windsor, Ont. (source citywindsor.ca)

While city pools are not yet open, municipal officials are sounding the alarm about what you need to know before jumping into the water.

“Particularly when we get warm weather spells, people are anxious to get out and into the water,” said Windsor’s director of recreation and culture Jen Knights.

Knights advises pool owners to store chemicals appropriately and make sure someone is always watching.

“Just so that someone is paying attention to the people that are in the water and keeping them safe,” she said.

“It’s always a worry right? There’s always a chance,” resident Lisa Samson said.

Samson said she was always conscious of water safety with her kids and didn’t install a pool until they were all ready to use it safely.

“They all learned the importance of water safety and what should happen,” she said. “PFDs (personal floatation devices) and that you should never swim alone. You should be with someone.”

Outdoor pools owned by the City of Windsor won’t be opening any time soon, but work is already being done at Remington Booster Pool to get ready for another season of fun in the water.

Meanwhile, the city is trying to address a lifeguard shortage.

“We weren’t able to run leadership courses for our lifeguard certification and our instructor programs for almost two years,” Knight said.

With 40 new staff being trained now, the city anticipates being able to expand the number of swimming programs offered soon.

Sandpoint Beach is scheduled to open mid-June with outdoor pools opening in late-June.

Adventure Bay will be back with limited hours this summer.