May 31, 2007

The good news for many kids and parents: hot weather is here and many public swimming pools are about to open and backyard pools have been filled. The bad news for parents: drowning is the second leading cause of accidental deaths of children under 14.

With that in mind, County Executive Andy Spano joined today with representatives of  the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) and the Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA) to launch a countywide pool safety campaign.

“Drowning accidents are avoidable,” said Spano. “While there is no substitute for constant adult supervision, there are safety measures that add layers of protection that can mean the difference between life and death.”

The county’s pool safety effort builds on ongoing programs by the departments of Consumer Protection, Health and Parks, Recreation and Conservation that have always made pool safety an important aspect of summer activities. 

The new elements, which deal with installed pools and inflatable pools, include:

 

• an informational brochure with safety tips, designed by the county in cooperation with APSP and NESPA, that is being distributed to pool owners throughout the county;
  
• a public information effort to get pool owners to install a pool alarm that detects when someone enters the water and sounds an alarm;
  
• proposed county legislation requiring stores that sell inflatable pools that have a depth greater than 2 feet to post an advisory sign noting the safety risk and the need to monitor children.

The new pool brochure  –   “Is Your Swimming Pool Safe?” – will be widely distributed. It may also be downloaded from the county’s website: www.westchestergov.com . It deals with swimming pools, spas and hot tubs and includes information about locked doors, fences, anti-entrapment drain covers and fittings, among other things.

In particular, pool owners are encouraged to install a pool alarm that is capable of detecting when someone enters the pool. New York State recently enacted a pool alarm law, but it only applies to new or remodeled swimming pools. The county, APSP and NESPA are urging all pool owners to install this relatively inexpensive but potentially life-saving device.

“Pool alarms raise an alert if a child enters the water when they’re not supposed to,” said Lawrence Caniglia, executive director of the Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA). “Every pool owner should install a pool alarm.”

The pool safety campaign is also designed to warn the public about the risks posed by portable and inflatable pools, which can cost as little as $50 and are readily available at stores throughout Westchester. “A child can drown in a small inflatable pool just as easily as in a large in-ground or above-ground pool,” said Spano. “We want to be sure that parents are aware of the risks of portable and inflatable pools.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that 47 drowning deaths between 2004-2006 involved inflatable pools. Because portable/inflatable pools are often soft-sided, a child leaning on the side of such a pool can easily tumble head first into the pool and be unable to right him or herself.

Although portable and inflatable pools carry warning labels, the focus of these labels is to warn against diving into the pools and tripping over pool attachments, rather than on the serious drowning hazard that they pose to children.

To make sure that consumers are informed of the risk of drowning associated with portable and inflatable pools, Spano has proposed county legislation that would require stores which sell inflatable pools having a depth greater than 2 feet to post an advisory sign at the point of display. The advisory sign would warn that portable and inflatable pools pose a risk to young children and would urge parents never to leave a child unsupervised –  not even for a second.   

At the start of the swimming season, the county Department of Health inspects all 600 public pools (and beaches) in the county for potential safety issues. Moreover, a mandatory Children’s Camp Operator’s Workshop is held each year prior to the summer camping season.  One of the primary objectives of this workshop is to provide training and information on aquatic safety for the staff of the 265 camps that operate each year in Westchester County.   Approximately 80,000 children attend these camps in which swimming is one of the most popular activities.   For further health-related pool information, http://www.westchestergov.com/health/pools_and_beaches.htm

Pool safety is of utmost importance in county parks. Here are some specifics:

 

• Flotation devices are not allowed in the pools (except those that are U.S. Coast Guard approved) because these inflatables can give young swimmers and their parents a false sense of security; sudden failure of one of these devices could have devastating effects.
• Diving is not allowed except at Sprain Ridge Pool in section of the pool designated specifically for diving. Anyone diving into waters of inappropriate depth risk head, neck and back injury.
• Preventive life guarding is practiced. For instance if a guard spots a child standing on the deck at the deep end on tiptoe, this often indicates that the child is about to jump in; the guard guides the child to safer area.
• Life guards are trained not just to enforce the rules, but to briefly explain the reasons behind the rules.
• The county offers Learn to Swim programs at Saxon Woods, Sprain Ridge and Tibbetts Brook pools – for kids and non-swimming adults and teens.

Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children up to age 14, surpassed only by motor vehicle accidents. Children ages four and under have a drowning death rate more than three times greater than other age groups, accounting for 80 percent of home drownings. There are approximately 260 drowning deaths annually of children under the age of five in swimming pools. In addition, an estimated 2,700 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for pool submersion injuries each year. According to the New York State Department of Health, between the years 2000 and 2005,  there were 46 drowning deaths in the state involving children 17 years and under, with most occurring in residential pools.