After record breaking drowning numbers in 2021, aquatics professionals, public health and safety officials, parents and federal representatives came together to share strategic ideas and to rally support for the reauthorization of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.
FT. WORTH, Texas /PRNewswire/ — Over 300 water safety advocates gathered in person and virtually, at the 21st annual National Water Safety Conference presented by the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA). This annual event is the place where multiple sectors, stakeholders, and advocates meet to strategize how to save lives. The highlight of the week was a live Q&A session with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. After the session, Nancy Baker, whose daughter the act was named after, officially made them Water Safety Champions, the NDPA’s new national water safety awareness campaign launching this summer.
“As we head into Memorial Day weekend and the summer months, families get ready to take their kids to the pool. We must remember the layers of protection and ensure that pools and spas have proper safety equipment,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “This is why I became a Water Safety Champion and so can you!” Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar formally introduced bill H.R.7877 to reauthorize the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act in the U.S. House and Senate this week.
NDPA and Rep. Wasserman Schultz push for the reauthorization of VGB Act and critical water safety this Memorial Day weekend.
The National Water Safety Conference presented by the NDPA is the only conference solely dedicated to water safety and drowning prevention. It was a four-day event featuring over 80 sessions ranging from trainings, workshops, educational sessions, town-hall events and live Q&A interactions with high level government officials and experts. NDPA hosted three virtual conferences during the pandemic and this was their first hybrid in person and virtual conference since 2019.
“I hear ‘I didn’t know’ from families of fatal and non-fatal drowning victims all the time. This is the phrase that haunts me and every person in the water safety space,” said Dr. Adam Katchmarchi, Executive Director of the NDPA. “The goal of the Water Safety Champion campaign is to achieve maximum awareness of the tools to prevent drowning and to never hear ‘I didn’t know’ from another parent again.”
About the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act
Rep. Wasserman Schultz has been involved in drowning prevention and pool and spa safety throughout her career and worked hard to pass her legislation, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which was signed into law in December 2007. This was the first federal pool and spa safety legislation signed into law in our nation’s history, requiring all public pools and spas to have safety drain covers, and in certain circumstances, an anti-entrapment system. The goal of the law is to improve the safety of all pools and spas by increasing the use of layers of protection and promoting uninterrupted supervision to prevent child drowning and entrapment.
About The NDPA
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) is a 501C3 nonprofit organization of stakeholders, advocates, families and members in different sectors of aquatics, water safety, public health and prevention. Established in 2001, the NDPA’s mission is “United, we can prevent the tragedy of drowning.” The NDPA provides resources, education and an engaged community where ALL stakeholders come together to collaborate on solutions to reduce the incidence of drowning and aquatic injuries in the US.
For information about becoming a Water Safety Champion visit ndpa.org/champion/
For general information visit ndpa.org
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SOURCE National Drowning Prevention Alliance
