WASHINGTON, May 10, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC) urges state, local and tribal
governments to apply for up to $3.0
million in grant funding for
the Pool Safely Grant Program (PSGP or
grant program). The two-year grants are to be used to
reduce deaths
and injuries from drowning and drain entrapment
incidents in pools and spas. The PSGP
is an essential part of CPSC's national
campaign to prevent drowning and drain entrapment.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death among young
children.
"Drowning continues to be a devastating issue for families
across the country. I encourage state, local, and tribal
governments to apply for this grant program to make an impact in
their communities," said CPSC Chair Alex
Hoehn-Saric. "The funding can be used for drowning
education, training and enforcement of pool safety requirements, as
well anti-drowning education."
The grant awards will range from $50,000 to $400,000
each. The grant program is authorized through the Virginia Graeme
Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act). Since 2016, CPSC has
provided more than $7.7 million in
Pool Safely grants to 35 recipients who used it for a variety of
drowning prevention activities including to train their pool safety
enforcement officials and run swim safety education programs in
their communities.
"We must do all we can to prevent drownings, the leading cause
of preventable death for America's youngest children," said U.S.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
(FL-25). "We can avoid these devastating
tragedies by adding common-sense layers of
protection around bodies of water, like teaching children
to swim, ensuring pools have the right safety equipment and are
properly constructed and inspected, and educating parents and
communities on the vital importance of supervising children in and
near the water. And these grants are critical tools to help
us accomplish all those goals." Rep. Wasserman Schultz authored and championed the
Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act in Congress which was
later signed into law by President George
W. Bush in 2007.
Grant applicants must be a state
or local government, Indian Tribe
or U. S. Territory that has an enacted or amended a
law
that meets the requirements of the VGB
Act (15 U.S.C. 8001), sections
1405 and 1406.
Prospective applicants can review the solicitation on Grants.gov, under grant opportunity CPSC-24-001. Applications will be accepted
through July 12, 2024.
CPSC's website, www.PoolSafely.gov, has more
information about the Pool Safely Grant Program and the VGB Act.
PoolSafely.gov has free, downloadable information for the general
public, state and local officials, the swimming pool and spa community and the media.
This child safety law has helped
reduce the risk of drowning and drain
entrapment by requiring public pools and spas to
install new safety drain covers and
through federal grants and education programs to encourage states
and localities to require residential pools and spas to
utilize physical barriers, such as a fence
completely
surrounding the pool, with self-closing, self-latching gates.
See additional
pool safety tips at www.poolsafely.gov.
Jurisdictions can contact CPSC's Grants Management Specialist
Harvey Kincaid at
hkincaid@cpsc.gov or 301-504-7525 or Program Manager
Jonathan Midgett
jmidgett@cpsc.gov or 301-504-8120 for more information.
Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this
topic. Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for
statements related to this or other topics.
About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with
protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death
associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products.
Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related
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 over the past 50
years.
Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject
to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in
consultation with the CPSC.
For lifesaving information:
- Visit CPSC.gov.
- Sign up to receive our e-mail alerts.
- 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: 24-234
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SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission