Pool inspectors from the City of Dallas are busy making sure pools across the city are safe to use as the summer heat approaches.
“It’s important because we’re trying to prevent drownings,” said Dallas Code Compliance inspector Henry Trevino to NBC 5. “We’re doing this for the safety and the welfare of the community.”
Rosana Savcic, code supervisor for the multi-family and single-unit rental division, told The Dallas Morning News, “We started three years ago to do these pool sweeps to prevent any accidents.”
“We want to be proactive and get ahead of the busy summer months to make sure pools are ready for tenants to enjoy in a safe manner,” she said.
Code Compliance has two employees who inspect pools throughout the entirety of the year. However, from March to May, all 18 code officers are tasked with inspecting pools across the city.
About 900 pools in condominiums and apartment complexes are registered with the Office of Code Compliance of the City of Dallas.
“We have been extremely busy,” Trevino said to NBC 5. “All of these things have to be checked.”
Inspectors check for several potential violations. Warning signage must be present and specify pool rules and whether a lifeguard is present. Signage must also indicate that diving is prohibited. Furthermore, ropes and pool rescue hooks must be present.
Trevino said inspectors further “make sure that [the lifebuoy] is Coast Guard stamped,” per NBC 5.
“We also make sure that it has a rope attached to it so that if it needs to be used in case of emergency, they can cast it and pull it back in,” he said.
Fences around pools must be at least five feet high, and gaps within the fencing must be less than four inches. Fence gates must also have a working lock.
Inspectors said the most common violations they find involve pool fences.
“I’ve noticed a lot of step issues to where children or teenagers can climb up and jump the fence at the pool,” inspector Corey Boyd told NBC 5. “We try to keep a close eye on that and keep the fences secure.”
State law requires apartment pools to have an emergency phone on-site. Inspectors will test the phone to make sure it connects to an operator. If the phone does not properly work, the apartment complex could face a violation.
If an inspector identifies a hazard in a pool, they will notify the property manager, who then has 24-48 hours to fix the problem.
If the property manager fails to do so, they could receive a code violation.
If the issue is still there when the inspector returns, the inspector can issue a fine ranging between $200 and $2,000. The apartment complex’s pool permit could also be suspended.
However, Savcic told the DMN that inspectors seldom issue fines because property managers work quickly to fix any issues so pools can stay open.
“Pools are a big selling feature for many apartment complexes so about 99% of the time they comply right away to avoid losing this feature,” she said, per the DMN.
