CPSC Acting Chairman Buerkle meets with members of the NDPA Board to discuss working together to advance a shared mission to stop drowning.
The Pool Safely campaign again had the pleasure of connecting with many of our partners at the 2018 National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) Educational Conference April 2-7, in Tampa, Florida.
As the leading national conference devoted to the full spectrum of drowning prevention and water safety, NDPA’s annual Educational Conference is always a cornerstone of the campaign’s yearly activities. Thanks to the incredible effort by the NDPA Board, this year proved to be as powerful as ever.
The theme for the 2018 conference: fighting for safer water, stems from the battle the water safety community fights for tirelessly every single day: to reduce drowning and aquatic injury in the United States, and around the world. As the NDPA president Melissa Sutton said, “we are all in this together. We all must come together to fight for safer water to change these tragic statistics.”
CPSC Acting Chairman Buerkle and Alan Korn, the executive director of Abbey’s Hope Charitable Foundation, pose for a photo following her keynote address.
The weeklong event included an impressive list of speakers from the water safety community. CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle again gave a conference keynote speech, providing an update on the Pool Safely campaign. During her speech, Acting Chair Buerkle reminded attendees of the campaign’s new Facebook page and reiterated CPSC’s focus on safety, protecting this country’s consumers, and the agency’s commitment to educating the public about the simple steps that can save lives to keep children safer in and around the water. She also highlighted how the campaign’s dedicated partner collaborations are truly a force for good, leading to a 17 percent decrease in fatal child drownings in 2017.
Throughout the week, the campaign connected with our partners at all levels, learning about the amazing efforts and activities they are executing on the local and national level. And as always, the Pool Safely team left inspired by the meetings, ideas and connections shared during the Conference. As we’ve said many times before and as the Acting Chairman reiterated in her speech, Pool Safely’s partners are the lifeblood of the campaign, so we appreciate opportunities like NDPA that allow us to interact with partners directly to solicit feedback and suggestions for ways we can strengthen our partner collaborations and recognize their incredible work in the fight against drowning.
That being said, as another NDPA conference concludes, please don’t wait until the 2019 gathering to connect with us! Partners: keep us informed of your events and achievements year-round by emailing poolsafely@cpsc.gov so we can amplify your work and continue to build momentum in the fight for safer water.
Our deepest thanks again to the NDPA Board and all our partners in attendance for making the 2018 Conference such a special and informative gathering! As we embark on a busy summer swim season, we look forward to seeing and working with many of you in the fight to ensure #notonemorechilddrowns.
CPSC Acting Chairman Buerkle meets with long-time water safety advocates, Cindy and Johnny Johnson of STOP DROWNING NOW.