A Pool Phone in Winter ?

You may be inclined to switch off your pool phone service during your pool’s off season, but by doing so you may be leaving your property vulnerable and your residents at risk. Here’s what you need to know about pool-related emergencies in the winter.

You know that having a pool on your property is a desired amenity and one that is expected in many areas of the U.S. No doubt, people love the option to go to the pool to cool off and have a good time. Despite this, accidents and assaults can and do happen. Whether it be an injury, a threat or an act of violence, it is important that pool users have a way to reach out during times of distress and call for help. Cell phone service can be spotty and unreliable. Battery life is often a hindrance as well. All these factors combine to make up just part of the reason that an emergency phone system at the pool is a crucial, life-saving tool. But what about the off-season?

Often, the close of summer coincides with the closing down of pool areas. Colder weather brings on coats and sweaters. Enjoying a nice cup of hot cocoa, coffee, or tea while cozying up to a good book or movie is a more likely activity. While it is possible to enjoy the outdoors during the colder seasons, chances are that very few people are looking to throw on board shorts or a bikini and go for a swim in icy water and even for the few interested, the community pool is closed.

So what use is a pool phone in winter then? Why keep it active year-round, why not shut it down, unplug it and revisit it when pool season comes around again? That’s one less hassle and one less bill, right? These questions make sense on the surface. If the pool is closed, it stands to reason that no one would be needing to activate a pool phone.

What we at Kings III have found, however, in our nearly 30 years of industry experience with emergency phone systems, is that pool phones are often used for emergencies completely unrelated to the swimming pool itself. In fact, we find that the pool phone onsite is frequently a tenant’s only means to help in moments of distress. You can see a particularly heart wrenching example of this via an actual call received by Kings III in the video below:

All that said, we look at “pool phones” really as all-purpose outdoor emergency help phones.

Year-round indications for an emergency pool phone

Assaults are a danger not exclusive to pool areas. They can happen anytime, anywhere. For example, we have taken calls from people who have had to flee their apartment for safety during a domestic dispute (read through a list of actual emergency pool phone calls taken during December 2017 and January 2018 here). In their time of need, our pool phone was their only means to call for help in the safety of a public area.

Calls have come in from young children who have been locked out of their home due to a lost or forgotten key. We have dispatched help to people who have experienced a break in, had their car stolen or even discovered they had a flat tire and needed assistance during their stressful situation. Having means to assistance during an emergency is obviously crucial, but even in non-emergency situations, such as a flat tire, allowing your tenants the option to summon help can help them feel safer, more confident and affect their tenant experience in a meaningful way. Our operators have taken emergency calls from pools to report building and vehicle fires and health emergencies as well.

The odds of an injury occurring outside does not decrease during winter. In fact, cold temperatures offer their own complications. Rain and icy surfaces can lead to slips and falls. Inclement weather also causes infrastructure damage, such as cracks, pot holes and uneven pavement. Unfortunately, each season comes with an abundance of its own risks.

Download our free guide: The Five Key Elements of Property Safety >>

Kings III will be ready to take the call

Whatever the case, whatever the situation, emergency pool phones can be (and often is) used for any emergency. With Kings III’s equipment and monitoring, a live operator is ready to take the call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Distressing and life-threatening situations are not exclusive to any one season. The means for staff and tenants to be able to reach out and have a trained professional ready to assist at a moment’s notice is a valuable, year-round safety measure to have in place. This is definitely not one of those realizations you want to have after an incident occurs.

So, it’s important to make sure your property’s emergency pool phones are tested regularly and often (at least once a month), all year round. Knowing that effective two-way communication is just a button press away brings about peace of mind and a sense of security for anyone who might face an unexpected, dangerous situation. And whether the pool is open or not, your residents will expect an existing phone on the property to work at all times. Don’t let them down. Kings III also offers auto testing- learn more.

If your property does not yet have Kings III’s emergency phone systems and monitoring in place, reach out to us today and learn why our service is the right safety solution not only at your swimming pools, but property-wide.