Help prevent drownings

New Website Sponsor: Poseidon Technologies

12/21/2016

Thank you, Poseidon, for your efforts to help reduce drownings through technology and for sponsoring our website in the coming year: 2017. For more information on their products, click here or read below.

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SafeKids Dangerous Waters Report

9/27/2016

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New Swim Lesson Grant for IPSSA chapters!

4/6/2016

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IPSSA Chapters interested in obtaining matching funds to support swimming lessons in their community should contact the IPSSA Executive Office in Los Alamitos, CA by calling 888.360.9505 to receive an application.

Bob Luedtke has been an IPSSA member for over 25 years. He has served on the IPSSA BORD in the past as CFO, President and Education Chair. As a result, he has been aware that IPSSA chapters have, for many years, provided funding for free swim lessons to their local communities. “The Diamond Bar IPSSA chapter is a prime example,” said Bob Luedtke. “They have been providing funding to pay for swim lessons at their local pool for many years and have helped that community by teaching hundreds of kids and adults to swim through the funding they provide the pool for swim lessons.”

Bob realized that he wanted to make it easier for IPSSA chapters throughout the country to offer the same support for swim lessons. As a result, he arranged for donations from several manufacturers and organizations to seed the newly created IPSSA Swim Fund that will match donations provided by local IPSSA chapters toward swim lessons. “Hayward generously provided our initial cash infusion, as did NSPF and Zodiac,” noted Luedtke. “We are very grateful for their support of this initiative.” The IPSSA Swim Fund has a simple structure: it provides matching funds, up to $500.00, for any IPSSA chapter who wishes to contribute to swim lessons in their community. If an IPSSA chapter donates $300 to their local pool, the IPSSA Swim Fund will match the contribution with an additional $300 so that the IPSSA chapter can instead contribute $600.00 in funding to provide swim lessons.

See below for the full press release.

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5 year old saves mom from drowning

3/23/2016

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Click here for the story

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Aquatic Jobs Network Gives Back

3/14/2016

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Longfellow's WHALE Tales from The American Red Cross - now FREE!

2/10/2016

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The American Red Cross believes that one way to help reduce drowning incidents among children ages 5 through 12 is to teach water safety education in elementary schools and other youth programs. The American Red Cross created Longfellow’s WHALE Tales to help teachers and youth leaders teach children about safe behavior in, on and around the water. The materials in the Longfellow’s WHALE Tales K–6 Educational Packet are designed to give children an awareness of being safe around the water and to help promote healthful aquatic recreation.

Commodore Wilbert E. Longfellow started the Red Cross Lifesaving Corps in 1914 to train volunteers in the methods of lifesaving and resuscitation. His next step was to provide large-scale instruction in swimming. The commodore’s teaching philosophy was to “entertain the public hugely while educating them gently.” He did just that. In tribute to Commodore Longfellow, who was known as the “amiable whale,” the mascot for the education packet and the video is Longfellow, a blue whale. WHALE is an acronym for Water Habits Are Learned Early.

If you are reading this, you undoubtedly know the importance of teaching water safety not only to younger children but also to not wait until late-spring or summer to do so. Because of the importance the American Red Cross has made all of the WHALE Tales materials available for download, free of charge. You can find the materials at http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/program-highlights/swimming/whale-tales. Now is the time to start encouraging teachers, libarians, boy/girl scout leaders, etc to commit to offer this simple, but lifesaving program.

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New Water Safety Song

9/9/2015

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The CPSC has released a new Pool Safely song by The Laurie Berkner Band. Check it out:

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Coming Soon! New Water Safety Book: Life with Lou

6/29/2015

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Serves: ALL ages and abilities
By Barbie Larimore and Kim Shults

CHILDREN- According to USA Swimming…

70% of African American children cannot swim
60% of Latino children cannot swim
40% of Caucasian children cannot swim
Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of childhood unintentional death for children under age 14

ADULTS- According to the Centers for Disease Control, 37% of American adults can’t swim the length of a pool, which puts them at risk of being one of the 10 people who drown every day in the United States. If a parent does not know how to swim, there is only a 13% chance that a child in that household will learn how to swim. (USA Swimming) Also, illiteracy has become such a serious problem in our country that 44 million adults are now unable to read a simple story to their children.

SCHOOLS- According to UNICEF, "Nearly a billion people will enter the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names and two thirds of them are women." Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70% of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.

Life with Lou provides a fun opportunity to explore text together and have a conversation about the importance of swimming and water safety skills. It is great for all types of learners- auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Learning to swim and learning to read inspire intellectual and personal growth and promote self-confidence. It is a must-have for all elementary classrooms.

COMMUNITY/ FAMILY ORGANIZATIONS- Participation in formal swimming lessons could reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88%. (USA Swimming) Life with Lou is the perfect companion to reinforce those skills. It’s a great book for swim schools, learn-to-swim programs, after school programs, libraries and community events.

Whether you use the recipe, just check out the ingredients, pass it along to share the deliciousness of it with everyone… or ALL of the above…Remember that it takes no preparation, is ready-to-go and can be eaten (or maybe just read) in 10 minutes to those served. Lives changed! No calories!

After Indulgence effects may include self-confidence, empowerment, curiosity, learning and even personal communication. If you experience one or more, you’re on the right track to success! Keep reading and share Life with Lou with a friend!

So join us in cooking up some change through Life with Lou.

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Welcome to drowningpreventionresources.org

6/19/2015

First of all welcome. If you are reading this you have some vested interest in drowning prevention. Here you are amongst like minded individuals and industry professionals who have come together to cause immediate impact in our own community, as well as provide resources for individuals like yourself wherever you may be.

Secondly, thank you. Regardless of the depths of your interest or investment in water safety and drowning prevention, simply by seeking resources and having the conversation, you are taking a huge step in the right direction. Oregon is in midst of a 10-year high in early season drowning, with nine from Memorial Day through the second week in June. (In fact, while writing this, two more swimmers were rescued yesterday and one was given CPR; they both survived) You can find more information on these incidents here.

As mentioned above, the original purpose of our drowning prevention group is to decrease drowning rates in our own community of Portland, OR through water safety education. As planning began and conversations were had in 2014, the need for our collective resources and ideas was made more obvious. With the launch of our website we will regularly report on our efforts and provide resources so that while we push drowning prevention in our own community, you might do the same in yours.

I'm going to take a minute to shamelessly plug my peers in this group; they are some of the most passionate, motivated, and knowledgeable aquatic professionals (and wonderful people) I have had the pleasure to work with. We collectively bring over a century of experience from various avenues of the aquatic industry and this group of professionals has always been passionate about water safety education and advocating for increased awareness of the dangers of water. However, even we are not immune to the fact that tragedy spawns action.

Portland, Oregon has always had a thriving aquatics community spanning bustling aquatic centers and stunning natural water ways with numerous lakes, rivers, and the Pacific Ocean. In 2013, the latest incarnation of our local pool operators association became active and Portland Area Aquatic Council (PAAC) was born again. Though most of our bimonthly meetings centered on pool safety, programming, and operation there was always the underlying feeling that we could and should do more.

In late August 2014, a particularly troubling drowning incident occurred in a lake right in our own back yard. To read more on the incident please click on this link: Hagg Lake drowning: 3 generations of Hillsboro family die in apparent accident. The passion for water safety has always been there, but this event truly tipped the scales and motivated these professionals to action immediately.

At our next few PAAC meetings we started brainstorming and quickly formed a Drowning Prevention Subcommittee. A few months later, Chair Lisa Virtue was inspired to create this website in order to have a centralized, free resource for all aquatics professionals worldwide. Soon you will be able to read the efforts of our groups members, find national resources (including financial assistance), as well as actions that were taken directly in response to the Hagg Lake drowning. Our hope is to provide a central location of resources and take one step further to fulfill our duty as aquatic professionals in educating the public in water safety.

-Brian Hoffmeister

Stay Safe this Summer...Wear a Lifejacket

6/8/2015

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One Oregon family was very lucky on May 28th when lifeguards saved their 5 year old from drowning at Glenn Otto Park. This is not usually how these stories end. PLEASE have your children wear lifejackets around water and stay within arm's reach of an adult swimmer at all times. Free lifejackets are available at this waterfront park and many others, including Haag Lake. Use them!

For more information and video on this story, visit:
http://www.kptv.com/story/29194389/lifeguards-save-child-from-drowning-at-glenn-otto-park

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