Thursday, October 1, 2026
With summer in full swing, Lynbrook Police Chief Brian Paladino is reminding residents to make sure backyard swimming pools are properly secured to help prevent accidents and protect children.
During the July 13 Village Board meeting, Paladino urged homeowners to check that pool gates are self-closing and self-latching and that required audible pool alarms are installed and functioning.
“We’ve been issuing out a lot of in-ground swimming pools, above-ground swimming pools in the past years,” Paladino said. “Please make sure your gates self-close, they latch. It’s summertime.”
Paladino noted that audible pool alarms are required even for older pools and can alert homeowners if someone unexpectedly enters the water.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in the United States, and most drownings involving children in that age group occur in home swimming pools. The CDC recommends installing four-sided fencing that completely surrounds pools with self-closing, self-latching gates to help prevent unsupervised access.
The agency also stresses that barriers such as fences and alarms should be paired with constant adult supervision, swimming lessons and CPR training, noting that drowning can happen quickly and often without splashing or shouting.
