Inflatable Pools a Drain on Public Safety?

Maria Cavins never planned on being a pool safety crusader. That all changed when she and her 5 year old granddaughter returned to Cavins Westbrook Mobile Home Park residence to find three unsupervised children splashing and playing in her granddaughters kiddie pool. They were ages five, three and two. That sight, companied with a local news story about a drowning, prompted Cavins granddaughter to tell here, "I think we need to take my pool down... I dont want a baby to die in it." That was the spark Cavins needed to go looking for the law on keeping pools safe. What she found is that Vanderburgh County code requires "a six-foot impassable fence shall surround all swimming pools... and include .... pools over two feet in depth." That set her out on a mission to find unfenced pools in the mobile home park she manages. With the help of Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Deputies, Cavins drained 36 pools at Westbrook. But she says shes not out to be a summer spoiler. "I just dont think people realize how inviting, how dangerous, how quickly a child can drown," Cavins said. Her efforts have inspired residents at Westbrook to invest in fencing to surround their pools. Cavins hopes residents all over the Tri-State do the same. The Vanderburgh County Commission praised her efforts, and today urged people who may have concerns about pools in their neighborhood to call the Area Plan Commission at (812) 435-5226.