Life preservers keep Lynn kids in the swim of things

LYNN – A lifeguard for three years who trained at the Lynn YMCA, local resident Jeannette Mordaunt knows how fast it takes for a child to drown.?The fact that someone can drown in seconds is scary,” Mordaunt said.The 2013 Classical High School graduate is spending July helping to keep the main pool inside the King?s Lynne housing development safe for young and old swimmers. The 134,000-gallon hilltop pool is one of the biggest in the city, and it meets swimming safety protocols with its metal fence, lifeguards on duty and safety equipment – including life preservers and an extension pole with a grabbing loop attached to the pole?s end.Safety and fun go hand in hand, said Mordaunt, especially in the summer months when the desire for a cooling dip can outpace common sense. Mordaunt said she sprang into action at the King?s Lynne pool recently when she spotted a child reaching over the pool?s edge to grab a ball that had drifted into a section beyond the five-foot depth marker.Mordaunt, who plans to attend Salem State University, said pool safety starts with swimming lessons.?It?s sad when kids are stuck in the shallow end of the pool watching their friends play,” she said.The King?s Lynne pool is used by about a third of the residents living in the development?s 441 units, said tenant representative Anita Veilleux. In addition to running a swimming program for children ages 6 to 12-years-old living in the development, King?s Lynne hosts 30 Girls Inc. teenagers on Wednesdays during the summer.?We offer swim lessons to our children and they have to pass a test to go in the deep end,” Veilleux said.King?s Lynne maintenance assistant Jose Laboy said the pool?s fencing was recently upgraded and daily and weekly water quality tests are performed. City Sanitarian Lisa Tobin said water clarity is an important standard for maintaining a safe pool.?Water clarity is crucial – a good way to check to see if it is clear is to flip a quarter into your pool,” she said.Six-foot-high fences and self-latching gates also ensure safety, but Mordaunt said knowing how to swim and never taking an eye off children who are in the water or near it is the recipe for a swim-safe summer.?Don?t let kids go unattended,” added Tobin.