Pool Rescue Equipment: Reaching Poles, Ring Buoys and a Phone

Every home or community pool should have a reaching pole, a ring buoy or other throwable float, a phone, and the address posted for 911, all within reach of the water. Add life jackets in the right sizes and a first aid kit, and make sure the adults around the pool know how to use them and know CPR.

Rescue gear is the last layer of protection. You hope never to need it. When you do, it has to be right there.

Gear every pool should have

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that pool owners have life-saving equipment, such as life rings, floats, or a reaching pole, available and easily accessible (opens in a new tab). The Red Cross list is similar: reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit (opens in a new tab).

Name equipment types when you shop, check that floats are designed for rescue rather than play, and follow the maker's instructions.

Where to keep it

• At the water's edge, in plain sight. CPSC says it's important to always be prepared for an emergency by having rescue equipment and a phone near the pool (opens in a new tab).
• Never locked away. A pole in the garage is no help in an emergency.
• Hung, not lying on the deck, where it can't be tripped over, used as a toy or moved.
• Life jackets near the steps, sorted by size.
• Checked every season. Look for cracked poles, frayed rope and faded or split floats. Replace anything damaged.

At community, camp or faith-group pools, assign one person to check the gear before each session.

Posting 911 and your address

When something goes wrong, people forget even their own address.

• Phone by the pool. Pool Safely says to have a phone close by at all times in case you need to call for help (opens in a new tab).
• Address posted. CPSC advises knowing the address of your location so that you can direct emergency personnel to the scene (opens in a new tab). Write it on a waterproof sign by the phone, with the nearest cross street.
• Know when to call. The Red Cross says to know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number (opens in a new tab).

Print the Water Emergency Action Plan and fill in your address and who does what.

Practice: reach, throw, don't go

The Red Cross teaches "reach or throw, don't go" (opens in a new tab) as a safe way to help a drowning person. Water Safety USA describes safe, simple rescue as reaching and throwing a flotation aid from the water's edge without entering the water (opens in a new tab).

Practice before you need it:

• Reach: take the pole off its hooks and hold it out to a swimmer standing in shallow water.
• Throw: throw the ring buoy so it lands near a target, then pull it in by the rope.
• Call: practice saying your address and "a child is in the water" out loud.

Our guides to reach, throw, don't go and how to throw a ring buoy explain each step. Hang the Reach or Throw, Don't Go by the gear.

Training matters as much as gear

Equipment helps only if someone can act. The National Drowning Prevention Alliance says emergency preparation means CPR training with rescue breaths and basic water rescue skills, and having a phone available and ready to call 911 (opens in a new tab).

• Learn CPR. Pool Safely notes that bystanders are often the first to aid a drowning victim, so learning CPR can help save a life (opens in a new tab). Red Cross CPR certification lasts 2 years (opens in a new tab), so put a renewal date in your calendar. Find a class in where to learn CPR.
• Teach older children what to do. The AAP says older children also should learn what to do if they see someone else in the water who is struggling, and how to get help (opens in a new tab).
• We don't print CPR steps. A hands-on class is the right way to learn them.

What you can do today

1. Check what you have. Is there a reaching pole and a ring buoy at your pool right now?
2. Hang it where everyone can see it, and show every adult and older child.
3. Post your address by the phone, and fill in the Water Emergency Action Plan.
4. Book a CPR class for at least one adult in your home.
5. Work through every other layer with the home pool safety checklist and the Pool barrier check. Hosting soon? See how to host a safe pool party.