April 18, 2011
64 DROWNINGS AND NEAR-DROWNINGS IN 14 WEEKS
Terrapin Communication Applauds the Pool Safely Campaign for its 2011 Public Safety Messages
Pool Safely PSAs Urge Parents to Watch Children at All Times Around Pools and Spas This Summer and All Year Long
The summer swimming season is just around the corner, and Terrapin Communications supports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) release of the Pool Safely: Simple Steps Save Lives 2011 public service announcements (PSAs) highlighting various water safety steps that can be taken to save a life. In the first few months of 2011, there have been 30 drownings and 34 near-drowning incidents reported by the media across America. The PSAs are being released nationally today as part of CPSC’s ongoing campaign to urge parents and children to adopt as many safety steps as possible in and around pools and spas. The Pool Safely campaign is the federal government’s first-of-its-kind national public education effort to reduce child drownings and near-drownings in public swimming pools and spas.
As a Campaign Safety Leader, Terrapin Communications is helping to deliver the campaign’s safety messages to the public by distributing materials, posting information online, holding events and incorporating the campaign into existing public safety outreach programs.
“Young children usually drown with a caregiver close by. Contact with the child was lost during the seconds an immersion accident takes to unfold. Rescue, though moments away, is usually too late. The silence of drowning doesn’t give second chances. Our goal is to break the silence of immersion accidents, to give parents that last chance.” Bob Lyons, Terrapin Communications
Working with the American Red Cross and the Y, CPSC produced television and radio PSAs to promote the Pool Safely campaign nationwide. The PSAs introduce four families and their stories about the simple steps that save lives: door alarms, knowledge of CPR, fencing around pools and spas and safety drain covers in pools and spas. The radio PSAs promote the importance of swimming lessons as a simple step that saves lives. Available to local television and radio stations in both English and Spanish, the English-language versions feature Ming-Na, the voice of Mulan in Disney animated films and star of the NBC drama “ER”, “The Joy Luck Club” and “Stargate Universe”.
“As the summer swimming season quickly approaches, our message to parents and children is simple: stay safe in and around pools and spas by practicing as many safety steps as possible,” said Inez M. Tenenbaum, Chairman of the CPSC. “We encourage everyone to have fun in the water this summer, but we also remind parents and caregivers to stay close to children at all times, know water safety skills like CPR, and ensure anti-entrapment drain covers are installed in all pools and spas. Every drowning and near-drowning incident represents a family tragedy.”
Since January 2010, the Pool Safely campaign has responded to over 530 media-reported drowning, near-drowning and entrapment incidents. Steps such as staying close to children at all times, learning water safety skills and having the appropriate equipment, can help families have a safer experience in and around pools and spas. You can learn more about the campaign’s water safety steps here.
About CPSC
CPSC is an independent federal regulatory agency created by Congress in 1972 “to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products.” The Pool Safely campaign is CPSC’s national information and education program associated with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act). The Pool Safely campaign is designed to raise public awareness about drowning and entrapment prevention, support industry compliance with safety standards, and improve safety at pools and spas. The Pool Safely campaign is proud to partner with leading organizations, including American Red Cross, The YMCA of the USA, Safe Kids USA, National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), World Waterpark Association (WWA), USA Swimming Foundation, National Swimming Pool Foundation, National Aquatic Safety Company (NASCO), Abbey's Hope and Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP). For more information, visit the website at http://www.poolsafely.gov/ and follow the campaign on Twitter @poolsafely.
About Terrapin Communications
Terrapin Communications manufacturers Safety Turtle, the world's leading personal immersion alarm. Introduced in 1998 as a last layer of protection for parents, Safety Turtle has been adapted to protect adults as well as children, and pets, near hazardous water, pools, ponds and open water. Pool lifeguards now wear Turtles to automatically alert the front desk of a water rescue. High risk patients such as stroke victims wear Turtle visors during [supervised] water exercise. For more information, visit the website at http://www.safetyturtle.com
