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Poolsafetynetwork.Org Launches Website To Showcase Information And Resources
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Author: Administrator Account
Added: 06/03/2004
Type: Summary
Viewed: 503 time(s)
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 Poolsafetynetwork.Org Launches Website To Showcase Information And Resources
The PoolSafetyNetwork.org today announced the launch of its Website – a first-of-its-kind collection of resources, best practices and information about drowning prevention from governmental agencies, leading advocacy groups, water safety experts, and the medical community in the field of water safety.
Noting that nearly 500 children drown in backyard swimming pools each year, and drowning is the number one cause of death among children under five, PoolSafetyNetwork.org has declared June to be Water Safe Kids – Drowning Prevention Month™ – a national effort to provide the media, community leaders and parents with extensive resources and information about drowning, drowning prevention, and a “call to action” encouraging parents and community leaders to sign pledges and to make community proclamations.
All of these activities are aimed to help educate the public and ultimately to help reduce the number of drowning incidents. The pledges and a model proclamation are downloadable on the PoolSafetyNetwork.org Website.
According to many sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and The American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 500 children drown in backyard swimming pools and approximately 3,000 children suffer neurological damage after experiencing a near-drowning incident.
Medical expenses and ongoing care for these victims can exceed $200,000 per year. The total medical cost associated with drowning is estimated to be approximately $3.5 billion, annually.
Arizona, Florida and California statistically have the highest number of drowning deaths in this country. “There is much work to be done to avoid these tragedies,” said Todd Appleman, founder of PoolSafetyNetwork.org.
“While the number of drowning incidents remains fairly constant, losing 500 children each year and seeing some 3,000 children suffer a lifetime of disabilities, is unacceptable. Our focus is set on educating the public and working with industry experts and local communities to move the needle in any way we can to save lives and avoid the trauma of losing a child to drowning.”
According to Appleman, drowning is considered to the “silent killer” – meaning children often drown when parents and adults are near-by. While most parents believe they are vigilant and responsible supervisors of their children around swimming pools, in reality, there is low awareness about the seriousness of child drowning and low awareness about what parents can do to help minimize its danger.”
A Harris Interactive poll completed in 2003 revealed that only 19 percent of Americans were aware that drowning is the leading cause of death among young children,” said Appleman. “While 59 percent of swimming pool owners who have pool alarms and other safety devices, experts are concerned that 41 percent of pool owners are not using “layers of protection” to supplement supervision of their children
The survey also revealed that 59 percent of American homes with swimming pools only have one or more of the “layers of protection” in place, such as fences around the pool, self-closing gates, gate alarms, a retracting pool safety cover and a pool alarm.
“All of the layers of protection create a series of barriers that keep the child from entering the pool area which is considered to be the most dangerous area in the home,” said Appleman. “Unfortunately, the study also reveals that only 59 percent have layers of protection.
Layers of Measures include: a permanent fence fully surrounding the pool with a self-closing gate, a removable fence fully surrounding the pool, a pool safety cover, a door or gate alarm, or a pool alarm.
“We are concerned that 41 percent of pool owners are either unaware of what should be done to protect children or they simply do not consider the threat seriously enough,” said Appleman. “A serious accident takes only seconds to unfold. Many children drown within a few feet of their parents. Parents are commonly on the phone, or pre-occupied. Since children drown almost ‘silently,’ once the child is submerged the parents may not notice the child’s being in danger until it is too late.”
About http://PoolSafetyNetwork.org:
PoolSafetyNetwork.org is a collaborative effort made possible through a network of concerned individuals who share a common goal of preventing drowning incidents. Our aim is to serve as a reliable, one-stop online resource for the latest information and data from various sources about water safety and efforts to reduce the number of incidents that take the lives of so many children each year. Funded in part by an unrestricted grant Safety Turtle and eSafetyAlert.com, PoolSafetyNetwork.org is a not-for-profit organization. We encourage you to put the information found on our Website to work in your home and in your community.
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Contact: Paul Le, http://PoolSafetyNetwork.org, 800/892-9551
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