Glossary
Door alarm
An alarm that sounds when a door to the yard or pool opens, warning you that a child may be heading outside.
A door alarm sounds when a door opens. On doors that lead to a pool, yard or garage, it warns you that a child may be slipping outside. Many young children who drown in pools were last seen inside the house: in a CPSC study cited by the AAP (opens in a new tab), 46% of the children were last seen inside their home.
The American Red Cross (opens in a new tab) recommends door alarms and locks, out of a child's reach, on all doors and windows with direct access to the pool or spa as a secondary barrier. Pool Safely (opens in a new tab) says to install an alarm on the door from the house to the pool area. The AAP (opens in a new tab) adds that turning on the door chime on a home security system can serve the same purpose.
A door alarm backs up, but does not replace, a four-sided pool fence. See door alarms and locks and pool and door alarms.
What you can do today: if your security system has a door chime, turn it on for every door that leads outside.