When the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act) was signed into law in 2007, it mandated a public education program aimed at preventing both child drownings and drain entrapments in pools and spas. It is because of the efforts of the Baker family, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Safe Kids Worldwide and many others who contributed to the passage of the VGB Act that the Pool Safely campaign exists today.
It has been six years since Pool Safely was first launched by former CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Olympian Champions Janet Evans and Jason Lezak, and Nancy Baker at the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft Lauderdale, Fla. For six years, the campaign has focused on educating parents and families about the hidden hazards of drain entrapment and making a contribution to preventing the public health crisis of fatal child drownings.
CPSC, along with a network of nearly 1,000 partners, is always looking for new and innovative ways to share these life-saving messages. Within the past few years, the Pool Safely campaign has created new materials, launched the Pool Safely Pledge with the help of Katie Ledecky, created a mobile app for children and even worked with Laurie Berkner to create a song!
Singer-songwriter Laurie Berkner takes the Pool Safely Pledge.
The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County teaches students steps they need to take to stay safer in and around the water.
Today, we are excited to announce the newest way the campaign continues to deliver on the promise of education: The Pool Safely blog!
As part of the redesign of PoolSafely.gov, which was showcased in May 2016, the campaign is excited to launch the blog and leverage this new channel to connect with our partners, parents, and families. This blog will give a behind-the-scenes look at campaign events, profile our incredible partners, and provide the safety steps that we want all families to take to be safer in and around the water.
We must be relentless in our pursuit to stop child drowning from being the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4; and being the second leading cause of death to children younger than 14.
This confident young swimmer is all smiles after pledging to Pool Safely.
So, whether you are just learning about the Pool Safely campaign or you’ve been a long-time campaign participant, make sure that you take and share the Pledge, share our water safety steps , and continue to check back on this blog for updates on the campaign and the water safety community.