‘PARTNERING WITH THE NDPA’
Happy May and Happy National Water Safety and Check Your Pool Gate Month! By Alissa Magrum, Executive Director, NDPA
It’s that time of year when we begin seeing our drowning and water related accident numbers increasing as the weather gets warmer and people escape the heat by going to all kinds of water.
The Nat ional Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) along with our partners at the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance, American Red Cross, National Recreation and Park Association, World’s Largest Swimming Lesson band together for National Water Safety Month.
May is also Check Your Pool Gate Month, and we are partnering with D& D Technologies in asking homeowners to check their pool gates as well as asking their neighbors to check theirs, ensuring that the gates are in proper working order.
We need all hands on deck to help us educate parents and caregivers about how to be safer in and around the water. Pool professionals are trusted in backyards and have the ability to reach so many families with water safety education. Will you please join us? See below for a few simple things you can do in May and throughout the summer to help us save lives and loves.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the single leading cause of death among children aged 1-4. Alarmingly, 69 percent of drowning incidents involving young children occur during non-swim times. This highlights the need for constant vigilance and effective preventative measures around all kinds of water.
5 Simple Things Pool Pros Can Do To Prevent Drownings and Water Related Accidents
1.Download the FREE NDPA Aquatic and Pool Professional Toolkit here. It has everything from door hangers, social media posts, videos, PSA’s, and printables to use as you bring water safety messages https://ndpa.org/pool-pro-toolkit/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx_af_-sweE to your clients.
2. Check the pool gates and fences on your next round of service calls. If you are able to involve your clients in this process, even better. You can watch and share this video as well. It’s a simple way to protect your clients and their families.
3. Check the pool drains on your next round of service calls to ensure that the covers are in place, have no cracks or missing screws.
4. Always remove pool toys from the pool area and make sure you never leave the pool gate propped open during your service call. And always check the gate when you are done.
5. Learn about and then talk to your clients about The 5 Layers of Protection to prevent drowning. Let them know that they can access free water safety education and resources at www.ndpa.org.
• Barriers and Alarms: to prevent children from gaining access to a pool or open water unsupervised.
• Supervision: close, constant, and http://www.ndpa.org
capable adult supervision anytime children are in or around water.
• Water Competency: equipping every child with basic water safety skills to reduce the risk of drowning and aquatic-related injuries.
• Life Jackets (tested and approved by the U.S. Coast Guard): to provide protection in and around open water.
•Emergency Response Preparedness: including CPR training with rescue breaths and having a phone available and ready to call 911. NDPA is on a mission to prevent the tragedy of drowning by uniting communities through education, awareness, and advocacy. You can help NDPA spread awareness by sharing this information with your clients. Thank you for your support and your commitment to sharing these lifesaving messages. By working together, we are and will continue to make pools and aquatic environments safer for everyone.
