CPSC Awards More than $1.1 Million in Pool Safely Grants to Three State and Local Governments to Combat Pool and Spa Drownings and Drain Entrapments

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Nov 15, 2022, 16:15 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) announced today three awardees of a grant program aimed at preventing pool and spa drownings, as well as drain entrapments. The state and local governments were selected by CPSC to receive more than $1.1 million in Pool Safely Grant Program (PSGP) grant funds. This funding will provide state and local governments with assistance for education, training, and enforcement of pool safety requirements that are intended to save lives and prevent serious injuries.

FY 2023 Pool Safely Grant Program Awards

Jurisdictions	State	Award Amount
Florida Department of Health (Broward County)	FL	$400,000
City of Columbus, Public Health Department	OH	$386,000
City of Waterbury	CT	$360,354

"It is critical to prevent child drownings as they remain the number one cause of death for children ages one to four," said CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric. "I am proud to announce these grant fund awards that will assist local communities with their work to protect children and provide lifesaving safety information to communities and help these communities enforce pool safety requirements."

"My whole career, I have passionately advocated to save more lives by stopping preventable pool and spa tragedies. And we can continue to reduce the number of child drownings through the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which provides lifesaving grants across the country and increases the layers of protection for our children. I am especially thrilled that Broward County will be a grant recipient, to help ensure pools have the right safety equipment and help educate parents on the critical importance of supervising children in and near the water," said Rep.Wasserman Shultz.

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act), which Rep. Wasserman Schultz authored and led, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in December 2007. The VGB Act authorizes the PSGP, which provides state and local governments with assistance for education, training, and enforcement of pool safety requirements.

CPSC's website www.PoolSafely.gov has more information on the Pool Safely Grant Program and the VGB Act as well as free, downloadable educational materials available to the public.

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products for nearly 50 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

For lifesaving information:
- Visit CPSC.gov.
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- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC.
- Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
- Call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054).
- Contact a media specialist.

Release Number: 23-045

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission