Sears Pool Management Consultants supports the mission of the NDPA (National Drowning Prevention Alliance), the APSP (Association of Pool and Spa Professionals), the American Red Cross, and others whose shared goal it is to make pools and spas safer for everyone’s enjoyment. The video below demonstrates some ways you can make your pools and spas safer.  We realize that some of these items refer more specifically to residential pools and spas, but believe that all are good ideas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIctLH3-Fu0

At Sears Pool Management, your safety is our top priority. Please feel free to put this video link in your community newsletters. Spread the word and save lives!

]]> http://searspool.com/spmc-supports-mission-to-make-pools-safer/feed/ 0 http://searspool.com/baker-law-cited-in-non-entrapment-lawsuit/ http://searspool.com/baker-law-cited-in-non-entrapment-lawsuit/#comments Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:52:52 +0000 admin http://www.searspool.com/?p=529 The parents of a drowned toddler have brought VGB compliance into their lawsuit against a waterpark, despite the fact that the death was not a result of entrapment.

On Aug. 2, 2009, 3-year-old Hassan S. Itani was playing with his brother in the kiddie pool at Kalahari Waterpark Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. According to the claim, he walked out of view of his mother, exited the pool and went into an adjacent shallow lagoon.

The lawsuit states that Hassan’s mother began looking for the child immediately, then quickly asked park personnel for help. He was found floating face down in the approximately 3-foot-deep lagoon. A guest of the waterpark attempted CPR, but the boy died.

Read full article at Pool & Spa News website, click here.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has finalized three aspects of VGB that were still up in the air: model language for potential state laws; the definition of an unblockable drain; and the definition of a commercial pool.

This puts in black and white the continually confusing issue of what VGB means for residential pools.

The law is not a mandate for all pools. Instead, it provides grants to states that enact pool and spa safety legislation that meets certain requirements set out by CPSC. The model language released March 3 spells out those baseline conditions.

Read full article at Pool&Spa News, click here.

December 22, 2009.

To the pool and spa safety community:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is pleased to announce that Widmeyer Communications has been awarded a contract to provide public relations services, as part of CPSC’s efforts to carry out the requirements of Section 1407 of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety.  Widmeyer’s approach for developing and executing an information and education campaign is highly relevant, as is their plan for broad national, regional and grassroots outreach for entrapment and drowning prevention education.   We are very pleased to have such a strong partner and representative working on this expansive campaign, which is aimed at reducing child drownings and entrapments.

CPSC would like to thank Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for providing the agency with funding for this initiative.

In the months to come you will be hearing from us and seeing the results of our work.  We hope to work with you all to make our campaign for swimming pool and spa safety a most effective one.

Best wishes for the holidays and Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Reilly

Public Affairs Specialist

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Implementing VGB for the nation’s 300,000 commercial pools has been a question since the law was took effect in December 2008.

CPSC officials originally said the agency only had the manpower to inspect pools where an accident had occurred or complaints had been filed. As an additional measure, CPSC urged state and local health departments to enforce the law in their areas, but that request met with mixed results.

But recently 100 CPSC staff members, stationed around the nation, have begun inspecting pools. As of press time, the agency said it had checked approximately 900 pools and 300 spas in 700 locations. Approximately 80 percent were found to be compliant.

Read full article at Pool & Spa News website.

To the pool and spa safety community:

As a part of CPSC’s enforcement of laws and rules under its jurisdiction, the agency is actively inspecting pools around the country.  Our field staff recently visited over 700 public locations, involving more than 900 pools and 300 spas, and found 80% of these compliant.  This number represents a very small sampling of public pools and spas around the nation and although most pools were in compliance with the VGB Act, those that were not should be brought into compliance or close.

CPSC will continue to inspect pools and enforce this law.  Public pool and spa owners and operators whose pools were found not to be  compliant with the VGB Act received a letter from CPSC informing them that they are in violation of the federal Act and that they must bring their pools and spas into compliance of face closure and civil or criminal penalties.

In the coming months, CPSC will be providing information and educational materials to inform the public, the swimming pool and spa communities, and state and local officials about the importance of entrapment and drowning prevention.  The staff at CPSC appreciates the assistance offered by so many of you in making public pools and spas safe for recreation.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Reilly

Public Affairs Specialist

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

While many reputable firms are busy retrofitting commercial pools, still other companies are doing sloppy work and/or overcharging for services.

Read whole article at Pool & Spa News website.

Read whole article at AQUA Magazine.

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Reat article at AJC.com.

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