WASHINGTON, DC – From Memorial Day through Labor Day 2013, at least 202
  children between the ages of 1 and 14 drowned in a swimming pool or spa in the
  United States, according to media reports compiled by the USA Swimming
  Foundation.   Of those, 143 of the victims were children younger than age 5.
 
The latest media-reported figures are consistent with the U.S. Consumer
  Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) annual Submersion  Report, and show that young children
and toddlers are especially vulnerable  to drowning.  Drowning is the leading
cause of unintentional death among  children 1 to 4 years of age and it is the
second leading cause of death for  children from 5 to 14 years old.
 “The time is now to turn the tide on child drownings,” said CPSC Chairman
  Inez Tenenbaum. “In warm weather states and indoor swim parks, pools are still
  open.  Let’s work together to prevent drownings by putting up barriers and
  having eyes-on supervision of children in and around the water.”

 CPSC’s national Pool Safely campaign reinforces important safety
  steps: fence all pools, stay close to children in the water, be alert, and
teach  children how to swim.

 Media-reported drownings show that during the summer of 2013, the following
  states suffered the largest number of pool and spa drownings involving children
  younger than 15 (figures may not account for all fatalities):

1. Texas (28)


2. Florida (24)


3. California (23)


4. Ohio (11)


5. New York (11)


6. Arizona (10)


7. Pennsylvania (9)


8. Tennessee (8)


9. North Carolina (8)


10. Louisiana (7)


11. Illinois (7)

 


The Pool Safely campaign provides information on the simple steps that
  parents, caregivers, and pool owners should take to ensure that children and
  adults stay safe in and around pools and spas:

• Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your
    children closely around all bodies of water.


• Designate a water watcher to supervise children in the pool or spa. This
    person should not be reading, texting, using a smart phone, or otherwise
    distracted.


• Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim.


• Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults.


• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings to avoid
    entrapments.


• Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal
    safety standards, and, if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about
    safe drain covers.

The Pool Safely campaign was launched in 2010 to raise awareness about
  pool and spa safety, as mandated by the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa
  Safety Act. The campaign has increased its focus on populations most at risk of
  drowning. African American children between the ages of 5 and 19 are six times
  more likely to drown in pools than white and Hispanic children that age,
  according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Data from USA Swimming indicate that 70 percent of African American children,
  60 percent of Hispanic children, and 40 percent of white children cannot swim. 
  Children who cannot swim are more likely to drown.


About Pool Safely:


The Pool Safely campaign is CPSC’s national public education and
  information program to reduce child drownings, near-drowning and entrapment
  incidents in swimming pools and spas. The campaign provides education about the
  Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act), federal
  legislation mandating new requirements for public pools and spas. Parents,
  caregivers and the media are encouraged to visit PoolSafely.gov or @PoolSafely on Twitter for vital safety
  information regarding the prevention of child submersions in and around pools
  and spas.

September 5th, 2013

A 3-year-old girl nearly lost her life in an East Lake community pool earlier
this month. Now, local organizations are teaming up with the hope of preventing future pool accidents in East Lake. 
Representatives from East Lake Fire Rescue, the Safe Kids Coalition and
Florida Safe Pools will be visiting about 50 homes in the Brooker Creek Villas
subdivision on Tuesday, July 23 to spread awareness about pool safety.
They'll be going door-to-door to let residents know how to keep kids safe.
"We're trying to get face-to-face with everybody there," said East Lake Fire Rescue Chief Tom Jamison.
The toddler, who is from New York, was visiting her grandparents with her family. They were at the community pool on July 14 when the little girl was found under water. Jamison says it happened very quickly.
"They looked one minute and she was fine. They looked the next minute and she was at the bottom of the pool," he said.

It's estimated she was under water for about 30 seconds. The toddler's father performed CPR on his daughter and she was alert when East Lake firefighters arrived. However, she was flown to All Children's Hospital because of complications. She has since made a full recovery and is back at her home in New York.

For More on How to Keep Your Kids Safe-

• FloridaSafePools.com

• Florida Safe Kids Coalition

• East Lake Fire Rescue website

~
Story originallyposted by : http://eastlake.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/neardrowning-in-east-lake-prompts-pool-safety-campaign

By Natalie Tolomeo, Reporter
ORLANDO --
With school about to let out for the year, here’s some startling information
for parents that you’ll want to hear. Florida has the highest number of drowning
related deaths for children under 5 and since May is National Water Safety
Month, first responders want to get the word out on how to play it
safe.
It might seem like a fun day at the pool, but experts said if
you’re not careful that fun could quickly become tragedy.

According to the state health department, enough children to fill three or four preschool
classrooms won’t live to see their fifth birthday and that’s just in Florida.

 Last year 45 people drown in Orange County. First responders said half were
children under 5 years old. In the first five months of this year, there have
been 10 drowning deaths.
“Anytime you have kids in the pool, never leave them unattended no matter
what,” said Lt. Eddie Brown from Orange County Fire Rescue.

 Lt. Brown said parents should always keep doors leading out to the water
locked and know CPR just in case there’s an emergency.

 He also said parents should keep a phone close by when supervising children
in the water.
 “A lot of the drownings we have seen with kids, that’s the number one thing
that we hear. The parent got a phone call and they just ran in the house to
answer the phone,” said Brown. “A lot of people also look at drownings as pool
or the beach. But there are a lot of things around the home that also contribute
to drowning deaths.”

 In fact, an infant can drown in just one inch of water. So if it's bath time
or not, first responders said never leave any water unattended in your home and
always stay within arm’s reach. Also, you can help by talking to your family and
friends.

 “The best way to prevent drowning is to bring awareness to it,” said
Brown.

 You can also buy an area entry detector for the pool area. You install it on
the door or gate and whenever someone opens it, an alarm will sound letting you
know if a little one is headed near the water.

NOTE: A Pool fence, Pool Safety Gate, Pool Net and a Pool Cover all can prevent or at least help prevent accidental drowning.
Call Tampa Pool Fence aka Pool Guard of Tampa Bay today www.atampapoolfence.com 813 929-8729

Pool Guard of Tampa Bay (1-4-2013)
has been awarded the prestigious 2012  Angie’s List Super Service Award, an
honor bestowed annually on only 5 percent of all the businesses rated on the
nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service providers. 
Kevin Post, President of the Tampa bay Pool Fence company says, "Pool Safety Fencing and
Pool Safety is no joke. Lives depend on this product and it being installed
correctly. The problem I continue to see is that our down economy has brought
out several incompetent and down right shady pool fence  companies to Tampa Bay.
They sell low priced, low quality products that don't hold up and without  thought to your child’s safety. 
If you find one company selling a pool fence for significantly less money then the all the  others it's usually an inferior product. Don't be fooled, and do your homework. With pool fencing and most other products you truly get what you pay for! These
companies typically close after a short time and leave their customers with a weak fence and without a warranty. This is disturbing to me and I do all I can to combat it. 
When you need a  quality Pool Safety Fence, Pool Cover or Pool Net done right, at a fair price,
there is a solution, Pool Guard of Tampa Bay. We are a BBB member with an A+  rating and have won the Angie's List Super Service Award for the past 6 years  straight, I figure that puts us in the top 1% of companies nationwide and certainly number 1 in Tampa Bay." 
“We are delighted to know that for six years running, Angie’s List members throughout  the Tampa Bay area have consistently recognized Pool Guard as a company that  strives to complete each job thoroughly, ensuring customer satisfaction, and
most of all maintain a level of professionalism that sets us apart from our competitors”, We want to thank each and every customer for their business and recognize all the members of our family who often work long, hard hours to make
  this happen." 

Pool Guard of Tampa-Bay: Tampa's Premier Pool Safety Company “Only a fraction  of the businesses rated on Angie’s List can claim the sterling service record of being a Super Service Award winner because we set a high bar,” said Angie’s List
Founder Angie Hicks. “The fact that Pool Guard can claim Super Service Award  status speaks volumes about its dedication to consumers.”
 Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including  earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their clients and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.
 Ratings are  updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2012 Super Service Award
logo next to business names in search results on  AngiesList.com.


Angie’s List
collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 500
service categories. Currently, more than 2 million consumers across the U.S.
rely on Angie’s List to help them make the best hiring decisions. Members get
unlimited access to local ratings via Internet or phone, exclusive discounts,
the Angie’s List magazine and help from the Angie’s List complaint resolution
  service. Take a quick tour of Angie’s List and view the latest Angie’s List
news.


To learn more about Pool Guard of
Tampa Bay visitwww.atampapoolfence.com
or www.Tampapoolfence.com


 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2012
Release #12-284 
  CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
More than 400 deaths estimated over a five-year period
 Tampa FL- The danger of drowning for young children is ever present  in and around the home. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death  among children ages 1 to 4 years-old and it takes only a few inches of water for  a young child to drown. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)  is  urging parents and caregivers to look for and protect against drowning risks  inside and around their homes.
A new CPSC report on in  home drownings and non-fatal
submersions (pdf) in products such as bathtubs,  buckets, bath seats, toilets, and landscaping features indicates that from 2006  to 2010, there were 684 incidents involving children younger than  five-years-old. This figure includes 434 fatalities (an average of 87 per year),  233 injuries, and 17 incidents with no known injuries. Eighty-two percent of the victims were younger than the age of two and 81  percent of the incidents involved bathtubs or bath related products. After  pools, bathtubs are the second leading location where young children drown.  CPSC's analysis of the fatalities found that 92 percent of the incidents
  occurred in residential settings. "Too many young children are drowning," said Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. "Just
  as with pools, I urge parents and caregivers to childproof their home and  constantly supervise young children around bathtubs, bath seats and buckets.  Taking extra safety steps at home can help prevent a tragic drowning."

 Of the reported fatalities, 28 percent involved a lapse in supervision, such
  as a parent or caregiver leaving the bathroom while the child was in the
bathtub  to answer the phone or door, or to retrieve a towel; in 23 percent, the
child  was left with another child, usually older; in 10 percent, the child was
found  in a product outside the home, such as decorative yard equipment or a
bucket;  and another 3 percent were found inside the home in a bucket/container
or trash  basket that was being used for cleaning.

 CPSC's drowning prevention safety tips include:

• Never leave young children alone near any water or tub or basin with fluid.
    Young children can drown in even small amounts of liquid.
  
• Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub. If you must
    leave, take the child with you.
  
• Don't leave a baby or young child in a bathtub under the care of another
    child.
  
• Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended.
    Toddlers are top heavy and they can fall headfirst into buckets and drown.
  After  using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children cannot
  reach it.  Don't leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.
  
• Consider placing locks on toilet seat covers in case a young child wanders
    into the bathroom.
  
• Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It can be a lifesaver when
    seconds count.

Pool Safety Fences, Pool Safety Nets, and Pool Safety Covers save lives in Tampa Bay! Call for your free in home estimate to protect you child from your pool. Pool Safety starts with you. Pool Guard of Tampa installs Pool Safety fences, Pool safety gates, baby gates, child safety nets, and pool safety covers in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties. Counties

Trust Pool Guard of Tampa Bay www.tampapoolfence.com ampa Pool safety fence and products leader Pool Guard of Tampa earns coveted A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau of West Florida thanks to a perfect record for business ethics.  The rare distinction certifies the company’s total commitment to customer service, selection and safety, and to setting the standard for pool fence companies across all of Tampa Bay, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. 

Leading pool safety fencecompany Pool Guard of Tampa Bay (www.tampapoolfence.com), which specializes in
selling and installing a variety of pool fencing safetysolutions, including pool safety fencing, pool safety nets, swimming pool covers, pool alarms and self-closing pool safety gates, announced today that it has earned the coveted
A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau of West Florida. The Better Business Bureau bestowed the elite rating on Pool Guard of Tampa Bay in light of the company’s longstanding unblemished membership, and its perfect record for
business ethics record over the past seven years.  
 

  For every child who
  drowns, four more are hospitalized for near-drowning


TAMPA,
Fla.  (May 21, 2012) – It’s something most parents think could never
happen to their  family, but every year in the United States nearly 830 children
drown. In  Florida, drowning rates for children are more than double the
national average  and are higher than any other state in the nation. In 2010,
Florida lost 74  children under the age of 4 to drowning. Hillsborough County
has the 4th highest  drowning rate in the state, following Broward, Dade and
Palm Beach counties.

 “Drowning hits every socio-economic group, every  race,” said St. Joseph’s Children’s Advocate Bevin Maynard. “Parents shouldn’t  think they because they are well educated or live in a nice house that it can’t happen to them.”
 Maynard notes that myths like these can give parents a false sense of safety, and allow kids to be "set up" for danger. Below are some common misconceptions related to drowning and tips on what you can do to  help keep your children safe around water.
Myth 1 - Drowning  is  noisy.
The truth is, drowning victims don’t  typically scream and splash when in distress - they often just slip away  in  silence. Children can drown in seconds, and most drownings happen when a child  is left unattended or during a brief lapse in supervision.
Be sure to:

• Actively supervise when children are playing in or
    near water. 
•  Designate a “water watcher” to maintain constant
    watch over children in the pool during gatherings.
• Teach children to never go near or in water without
    an adult present
• Remove floats and toys from in and around the pool when not in use. The presence of these toys may encourage children to enter the pool area or lean over the pool and potentially fall in.  
• Keep rescue equipment, a telephone and emergency numbers poolside. 
• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
  “Performing CPR on drowning victims immediately – before paramedics arrive – may
    prevent brain damage and be the difference between life and death,” said
    Maynard.

Myth 2 - I don't have  a pool or live near the water, so my child is safe.
The truth is, there are water hazards in and  around every home. “Although most rownings and near-drownings occur in  residential swimming pools and in open water sites, children can drown in as  little as one inch of water and are  therefore at risk of drowning in wading  pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails, toilets, spas and hot tubs,” said  Maynard.

 Be sure to:

• Never leave young children unattended in bathtubs, even for a moment.
  
• Never leave a young child in the care of older children during bath time. 
  
• Once bath time is over, immediately drain the tub.   
  
• Keep toilet lids closed and use toilet seat locks. 
  
• Keep doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed. 
  
• Empty all buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside-down and out of children’s reach.
  

Myth 3 – My child  is  never outside without me, so I don’t need a pool fence.
The truth is, curious children, especially  those younger than 4 years old, can easily find a way out of the home and fall  into bodies of water like pools, hot tubs and ponds. Often they are discovered  too late to save. “Many parents of
children who have drowned were shocked to  discover that their toddler found a way out of the house,” said Maynard. “In  some cases, an older sibling left a door open, in a few others, children who  were thought to still be napping were  instead discovered in the pool.”

 Be sure to:

• Install four-sided isolation fencing, at least 5 feet high, and equipped with self-closing, self-latching gates. Fencing should  completely surround swimming pools and prevent direct access from a house or yard.  
• Use door alarms, pool alarms and pool covers for an  extra layer of protection. However, do not rely on them to keep your kids safe; they should be used in conjunction with fencing and constant supervision.  
• Cover and lock hot tubs when not in use.

Myth 4 - My child  can’t drown because he’s wearing arm floaties. The truth is, personal floatation devices
  aren't approved for safety and won't protect a child from drowning.

Be sure to: 

• Never rely on air-filled or foam devices such as water wings, arm floaties, plastic rings, rafts, noodles, etc. to protect a  child. These items are toys that can easily slip off their arms or over their
    head.
  
• Children should always wear a U.S. Coast  Guard-approved personal floatation device when on a boat, near open bodies of  water or when participating in water sports. 
  
• Enroll children in swimming lessons taught by qualified instructors when they are ready. Even then, do not assume your child  is "drown-proof" - he or she still needs constant supervision.

www.atampapoolfence.com and www.poolsafetyfences.com support the St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Safe Kids program.  This program is designed to provide useful information and resources  to help keep kids safe. Pool Guard safety fencing is listed as a water safety resource. Pool Guard fences are astm certified and meets or exceeds all requirements set forth in the Residential Pool Safety Act of 2000.  
Pool Fences by Pool Guard of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater can be reached at (813) 929-8729
For more information on the Safe Kids program call (813) 615-0589