Published 13 October 2022

Despite being smaller in size than backyard pools, portable pools still pose a significant drowning risk for young children, Royal Life Saving Society – Australia has warned.

The warning comes as part of Kidsafe’s ‘Safe Barriers Save Lives’ campaign. Portable pools (also known as inflatable pools or wading pools) are a popular and affordable choice for many families, but even a small volume of water left in the bottom of a portable pool is enough for a child to drown.

Royal Life Saving’s National Drowning Report 2022 showed 17 children aged under five lost their lives to drowning in 2021/22. Swimming pools, including portable pools, are the leading location for drowning in this age group, accounting for 35 per cent of drowning deaths.

In the past 20 years, 27 children aged 0-4 years have drowned in portable pools around the country. In all instances, adults were momentarily distracted, and most portable pools were unfenced so there was no ‘second line of defence’ to help prevent the drowning.

Royal Life Saving Chief Executive Officer Justin Scarr said many families were unaware of the legal requirement to have a fence around backyard pools also applied to portable pools.

“In most states and territories any pool deeper than 30cm, which includes portable pools, must have a fence by law,” Mr Scarr said.

“If you’re planning on using or buying a portable pool over the warmer months, remember Don’t Duck Out, Make it Safe.”

Royal Life Saving’s ‘Don’t Duck Out, Make it Safe’ campaign, developed in conjunction with Consumer Protection WA on behalf of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), aims to educate parents, grandparents and carers of young children about the drowning risk associated with portable swimming pools, and highlights four simple safety tips to reduce this risk:

1. Supervise – Once a pool has water in it, children should be actively supervised and should be kept within arm’s reach at all times. The responsibility of supervision should not be left to older children as they may not recognise the signs of drowning.
2. Act – Learn what to do in the event of a child drowning incident. Learn how to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Compressions and breaths should be started as soon as a child is pulled from the water, and call Triple Zero (000) for emergency help. If possible, shout for someone to call Triple Zero (000) while you continue CPR.
3. Fence – In most parts of Australia, if a pool has more than 30cm of water in it, there’s a legal requirement for it to be fenced. Check the rules for safety barriers with your local council or government agency.
4. Empty – When a pool is not in use, pour out the water, deflate the portable pool and store it away safely out of reach of children.

KidSafe’s annual ‘Safe Barriers Save Lives’ campaign, which was launched on Thursday 6^th October, calls on all pool and spa owners to check the safety of their barriers in the lead up to the warmer months.

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