Compassion in Action: Safeguarding Backyard Swimming Pools Nov 1, 2006 By: Stephanie vL Henkel

Your backyard swimming pool can be a source of relaxation and delight—as long as you keep a lifeguard on duty 24/7. For the higher your fence and the more secure your gate latch, the greater the challenge to all the children who know that oasis is back there. And far too frequently, when everyone has come indoors for refreshment, a toddler wanders through the open gate and falls into the water. Everyone thought someone else was watching the child.

The cry of "man overboard!" is second only to "fire on shipboard!" as a general alarm for all hands. But what if no one sees that fellow boater or shipmate (or pet) fall into the drink? The Raymarine (www.raymarine.com) LifeTag system, using Ember's ZigBee (www.zigbee.org) networking technology, does away with that unhappy scenario.