Water safety is critical year-round

In a state where 70 percent of backyards have pools, water safety is a responsibility that all community members share.

Hubbard Family Swim School, with two Valley locations, recently announced the creation of an outreach program to help educate families, children and the community about water safety. Since February, teachers from Hubbard have been visiting schools and parent groups across the Valley, spreading the water safety message to students aged 3 to 10.

Hubbard Family Swim instructor Sam Good, left, is join by fellow instructor Matt Skinner—aka Sammy the Starfish—as they impart important pools safety lessons to children at Crossroads UMC Preschool last month (photo by Teri Carnicelli).

Water safety is critical year-round
In a state where 70 percent of backyards have pools, water safety is a responsibility that all community members share.
Hubbard Family Swim School, with two Valley locations, recently announced the creation of an outreach program to help educate families, children and the community about water safety. Since February, teachers from Hubbard have been visiting schools and parent groups across the Valley, spreading the water safety message to students aged 3 to 10.
Hubbard educators use materials from Safer 3, the Swim for Life Foundation’s national water safety program. The Safer 3 message—safer water, safer kids, safer response—is intended to bring awareness to water safety issues in hopes of preventing the needless tragedy of childhood drowning.
The safer water component emphasizes providing functional barriers to pools and other bodies of water. According to Bob Hubbard of Hubbard swim, breached pool barriers—such as gates that have been propped open—are the leading cause of child water-related accidents.
Safer kids refers to teaching children how to swim and instructing them never to go near a pool or body of water alone. Safer response means having an emergency action plan in place and knowing CPR for adults and 9-1-1 for kids.
During presentations, Hubbard Family Swim School instructors engage students with skits, coloring pages and water safety discussions to teach families how to be safe around water. Presentations are free of charge to any group interested and also include special appearances by one of the “Safer 3” mascots—Timmy the Tadpole, Gilbert the Guppy and Sammy the Starfish.
For further information on Hubbard Family Swim School or the Safer 3 program, visit www.hubbardswim.com or call 602-971-4044.
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    Another Valley business also is doing its part to promote pool safety. The Fulton Homes Fence Patrol program has officially kicked off the 2008 swim season by urging Valley residents to nominate homes in need of a pool fence.
Through July 11, Fulton Homes will be teaming up with KMLE radio and Ironman Pool Fences to award one free fence per week to a deserving Valley resident, during their 12-week crusade. The program is in response to an increasing number of drownings in the Valley.
Already in 2008, 12 deaths have occurred from water-related incidents in Maricopa County (12 adults and two children), and summer has not even begun. Also, last year 54 lives were lost due to water-related incidents, according to childrensafetyzone.com. Arizona is second in the nation for child drownings, behind Florida.
“Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for Arizona children under age 5,” said Doug Fulton, CEO of Fulton Homes. “Fulton Homes is determined to stop these tragedies by providing Valley residences with the opportunity to receive a pool fence free of cost.”
Interested parties have until July 4 to nominate themselves or someone else for a pool fence, by logging on to www.kmle108.com and clicking on the Fence Patrol icon. For more information, call 602-452-1000.
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The United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association and Valley of the Sun United Way also are taking a proactive approach to prevent child drownings through the Adopt-a-Pool-Fence Program. The program provides families throughout Maricopa County with a donated pool fence, offering a physical barrier between their children and their backyard swimming pools. So far, 300 families have received fences.
Families who do not have a pool fence and are in financial need are asked to fill out an application, by visiting www.saverkids.org or calling 602-631-4843. Applicants need to meet the following criteria: A child 6 years of age or younger must be living in the home; the home must be owner-occupied; and families must demonstrate financial need. Special circumstances will be considered.
The Adopt-a-Pool-Fence Program was started in 2003 by the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association as effort to prevent child drownings. The program has recently been integrated into the FireStar Fund after Valley of the Sun United Way and the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association secured a $250,000 grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust as a way to expand the program.
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Arizona’s best-known water safety coalition announced the launch of a new Web site to serve the general public. The site, www.preventdrownings.org, features water safety events, tips, resources, statistics, and highlights of local drowning prevention programs.  
“When the Drowning Prevention Coalition was first founded, it was a grass-roots group seeking to bring together people with a passion for prevention,” explains Lori Schmidt, president of the group. “In the nearly 20 years since then, we’ve seen dramatic developments in the issue. Having an updated Web site with a user-friendly format allows us to keep in touch with, and be a resource for, those who care about this issue. It also allows us to respond to, and even be ahead of the curve when new developments occur.”
The Web site was developed with funds donated by Banner Health, and was designed by Mona’s Webs.
Local groups are encouraged to submit event information to the site, and attend the group’s next general meeting, scheduled for 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, June 17. The location will be posted on the Web site (tentatively planned for the SRP corporate office).
The Drowning Prevention Coalition, a community-based organization comprised of parents, health and safety professionals and business leaders, exists to provide a forum to prevent drowning and near drowning through the promotion of education, legislative action and enhanced product safety. For more information, visit www.preventdrownings.org.