Having a well-stocked first aid kit near your swimming pool or hot tub is a simple part of creating a safer aquatic environment. Pools and spas combine water, wet walking surfaces, bare feet, outdoor exposure, heat, recreational activity, and electrical or mechanical equipment, so injuries can happen even when everyone is being careful.
A first aid kit will not replace good supervision, CPR training, rescue equipment, or professional emergency care. What it can do is give you immediate access to basic supplies when someone gets a cut, scrape, splinter, insect sting, minor burn, or another injury around the pool or spa.
For homeowners, that may mean treating a scraped foot without running through the house looking for a bandage. At a commercial or community pool, having appropriate first aid supplies readily available may be an important part of the facility's overall emergency-response plan.
Why Keep a First Aid Kit Near a Pool or Spa?
Many injuries around pools have nothing to do with drowning. Wet decks, concrete surfaces, ladders, rails, landscaping, toys, broken equipment, insects, and normal recreational activity can all result in relatively minor injuries that should still be treated promptly.
A poolside first aid kit can be useful for:
- Minor cuts and scrapes
- Splinters
- Minor abrasions
- Insect bites and stings
- Small burns
- Minor injuries from slips or falls
- Protecting a wound until additional medical care is available
The advantage is not simply owning the supplies. The advantage is having them close enough to use immediately.
What Should Be in a Pool or Spa First Aid Kit?
The exact contents depend on whether you are equipping a backyard pool, hotel, apartment complex, community pool, swim school, health club, or another aquatic facility.
Useful first aid supplies commonly include:
- Adhesive bandages in several sizes
- Sterile gauze pads
- Roller gauze
- Medical or adhesive tape
- Antiseptic wipes
- Disposable gloves
- Scissors
- Tweezers or splinter forceps
- Cold packs
- Sterile dressings
- Appropriate wound-care supplies
- Insect-sting treatment supplies
- CPR barrier or mask
- Basic first aid instructions
A larger facility serving dozens or hundreds of people will normally require substantially more supplies than a residential pool used by one family.
A First Aid Kit Is Not the Same as Pool Rescue Equipment
This is an important distinction.
If someone is experiencing a drowning emergency, looking through a first aid kit should not be the first response.
The priorities are to recognize the emergency, summon help, remove the person from the water without putting the rescuer in unnecessary danger, contact emergency medical services, and provide appropriate rescue breathing or CPR according to the responder's training.
A CPR mask or gloves from a first aid kit may support that response, but the first aid kit itself is not rescue equipment.
Depending on the type of pool or facility, emergency equipment may also include:
- A reaching pole or shepherd's crook
- An appropriate rescue ring or flotation device
- A reliable method of calling 911
- An AED
- Posted emergency instructions
- Emergency contact information
Where Should You Keep the First Aid Kit?
A good first aid kit is much less useful if nobody can find it when an accident occurs.
The kit should generally be:
- Near the pool or spa area
- Easy for responsible adults or staff to locate
- Clearly identified
- Protected from rain and pool splash
- Protected from excessive heat and direct sunlight
- Out of the unsupervised reach of young children
Think about accessibility from the perspective of an emergency. Someone who has never been to your home or facility before should ideally be able to understand where the emergency supplies are located.
Don't Store the Kit Somewhere Nobody Can Reach
It can be tempting to lock all pool supplies inside an equipment room. That may make sense for chemicals, tools, or replacement parts, but emergency supplies need to remain reasonably accessible to the people responsible for the pool.
For a residential pool, that might mean a protected cabinet near the patio.
For a commercial facility, the correct location may be determined by the facility's emergency plan or applicable regulations.
Inspect Your First Aid Kit Regularly
First aid kits should not be purchased once and then ignored for five years.
Open the kit periodically and check for:
- Missing supplies
- Expired products
- Opened sterile packages
- Water or moisture damage
- Damaged gloves
- Used cold packs
- Missing CPR barriers
- Damaged scissors or tweezers
- A case that no longer closes properly
How frequently the kit should be inspected depends partly on how heavily the pool area is used.
A backyard pool used by one family may need substantially less frequent restocking than a hotel or community pool used by hundreds of people each week.
Check the Kit After Every Incident
This may be even more important than the scheduled inspection.
If someone uses six bandages, a pair of gloves, several antiseptic wipes, and a cold pack, those supplies need to be replaced afterward.
Otherwise, the kit can gradually become an almost-empty plastic box that still looks complete from the outside.
For commercial facilities, a simple inventory checklist can make inspection and restocking much easier.
Learn CPR and First Aid Before You Need Them
Buying emergency equipment is useful. Knowing how to respond is better.
Adults who regularly supervise a swimming pool or hot tub should strongly consider recognized CPR, AED, and first aid training.
An emergency is a difficult time to read instructions for the first time.
Training gives a responder an opportunity to practice basic skills before they are needed under pressure.
Match the First Aid Kit to the Number of People Using the Pool
One reason first aid kits are offered in different sizes is that the appropriate inventory depends heavily on the environment.
Consider:
- How many people normally use the pool?
- How many guests might be present at one time?
- Is this a residential or commercial facility?
- Are trained employees or lifeguards present?
- How quickly can emergency medical assistance arrive?
- Are there facility-specific first aid requirements?
A compact kit may be perfectly reasonable for a small residential pool, while a busier aquatic facility may need significantly more supplies.
Recommended Pool & Spa First Aid Kits
Bath & Spa Parts Online carries Kemp USA first aid kits designed for pool, spa, recreational, and aquatic environments. The two options below provide different levels of first aid inventory depending on the number of people typically using the area.
A compact first aid kit well suited to smaller residential pool and spa areas or other locations where a basic assortment of emergency supplies should be readily available.
The kit contains commonly needed first aid supplies including bandages, adhesive tape, antiseptic prep pads, gauze, first-aid cream, gloves, sterile dressings, scissors, splinter forceps, and sting-treatment pads.
A larger first aid kit intended for higher-use pool areas, commercial facilities, recreational settings, and other locations where a broader assortment of emergency supplies is appropriate.
The kit provides a larger assortment of commonly needed first aid supplies including bandages, gauze, antiseptic supplies, scissors, tweezers, adhesive tape, gloves, CPR masks, and additional emergency-care items.
Residential Pools vs. Commercial Pools
For a homeowner, first aid preparation is primarily about being ready for family members and guests.
Commercial and public aquatic facilities can have additional responsibilities.
Depending on the jurisdiction and facility, requirements may address:
- First aid supplies
- Rescue equipment
- Emergency communication
- Lifeguard equipment
- AED availability
- Staff training
- Emergency action plans
- Inspection and documentation
Commercial operators should not assume that purchasing a particular first aid kit automatically satisfies local regulations. Check the requirements that apply to the specific facility.
Other Pool Safety Equipment Matters Too
A first aid kit should be part of a broader pool-safety strategy.
Depending on the pool, that strategy may include:
- Constant adult supervision
- Appropriate barriers and fencing
- Self-closing and self-latching gates
- Proper drain covers
- Safe ladders and handrails
- Rescue equipment
- Slip-resistant walking areas
- Clearly visible depth markings
- CPR and first aid training
- Emergency telephone access
- A written emergency plan
Don't Forget Hot Tub Safety
The same first aid preparedness applies around a hot tub, but spas create several additional considerations.
Hot tub users should also pay attention to:
- Water temperature
- Slippery entry and exit areas
- Secure handrails or steps
- Proper sanitizer levels
- Drain and suction safety
- Supervision of children
- Safe use of the spa cover
Because hot tubs operate at elevated water temperatures, responsible adults should also be familiar with the signs that someone has become overheated or is no longer feeling well.
Create a Simple Pool Emergency Plan
You do not need a complicated binder to improve emergency preparedness at a residential pool.
At minimum, responsible adults should know:
- Where the first aid kit is located
- Where rescue equipment is located
- How to call emergency services quickly
- The property address to give a 911 dispatcher
- Where electrical power to the pool or spa can be shut off
- Who knows CPR or first aid
For larger commercial facilities, the emergency plan should be considerably more formal and should comply with applicable requirements.
Be Prepared Before Someone Gets Hurt
The best time to prepare for a poolside accident is before one happens.
Keep appropriate first aid supplies readily available, make sure responsible adults or staff know where they are, inspect the kit regularly, and replace anything that has been used, damaged, or expired.
Most importantly, think of the first aid kit as only one piece of the safety system.
Supervision, rescue equipment, CPR and first aid training, emergency communication, proper pool equipment, and good preparation all work together to create a safer swimming environment.
Bath & Spa Parts Online carries pool and spa safety products, replacement components, drain covers, deck equipment, and thousands of other pool and hot tub parts.
If you're having trouble identifying a product or replacement part, give us a call at 800-918-9143.