It's important for pool owners to understand that they are responsible for learning and remembering the hazards associated with swimming pool chemicals and ensuring that pool chemicals are safely stored and properly handled. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made a public alert available full of tips for preventing pool chemical accidents and emergencies. The following are EPA suggested swimming pool chemical storage and handling safety tips for pool owners to follow.

• Do not store pool chemicals where they can be wetted by small amounts of water. Getting swimming pool chemicals damp or wet when they aren't being used in the pool can cause toxic vapors and become dangerously reactive. Reactivity may be triggered by water wetting the pool chemical, or by the accidental mixing of two or more pool chemicals that are not compatible.
• Be alert and careful not to mix pool chemicals improperly. The most commonly used pool chemicals are inherently incompatible with each other. Improper mixing of pool chemicals can cause chemical reactions that produce enough heat to ignite combustible materials or even cause deadly chlorine gas fumes. Even if you buy the same brand and type of pool chemicals you should not mix the two separate containers because "old pool chemicals" start to decompose.
• If you have a pool chemical accident, spill, or chemical fire, immediately call 911 and have local firefighters respond. You should know that pool chemical fires are not easy to put out and professionals need to be called.
• Do NOT use a dry chemical or halon-type fire extinguisher to put out pool chemical fires where chlorine gas fumes are present. These two chemical agents have a negative reaction to one another.
• Only persons trained in chemical fire response should put out a pool chemical fire. Be very cautious of chemical water run-off that may negatively affect the environment, wildlife and your surroundings.

For more information about pool chemical storage and handling safety tips, The American Chemistry Council has several guidelines and reading materials available to the public. Be safe and inform yourself and others about pool chemical safety to keep the pool a fun and enjoyable place for all.