By Mark van der Feyst
There are many hazards that we need to be aware of on the fire ground. A part of our size up is to scan the area consistently to identify any hazards that we may encounter. Sometimes this may not always be possible. Whenever we respond to a call at night, our visibility is limited to just a hand light or scene lights. One such hazard to be aware of is the in-ground pool.
One firefighter I know was assigned to go into the backyard to complete a task. As he entered through the fenced in area, he took a few steps and fell into an in-ground pool. Fortunately, he fell in the shallow end and could get out quickly. If it had been the deep end, the situation may have turned out for the worse. Most in-ground pools are secured with a fence around them, but this fence may be the perimeter fence around the property as well. Some pools will have a separate fence surrounding the pool within the backyard. The best way to avoid falling into a pool is to use your personal hand light to check ahead of you. If there is a pool on the premises, that hazard needs to be communicated to the rest of the crews.