NESPA Foundation Supports Expanded Access to Water Safety Education in New Jersey

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Dominick Mondi, Executive Director of Northeast Spa and Pool Association & NESPA Foundation, Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, and Joe Ohme, founding board member of the New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance, joined Assemblyman Sean Kean on the boardwalk in Spring Lake, New Jersey to highlight the importance of water safety education this Memorial Day weekend.

All advocates for water safety initiatives, the group gathered to support Kean's legislation (A618) which proposes that K-12 school districts be required to provide instruction on water safety. The bill is currently awaiting consideration in the Assembly Education Committee.

"The ocean and pool provide amazing opportunities for exercise, relaxation, fun, and cooling off. However, we must always be careful around water—the ocean, lakes, rivers, as well as pools and hot tubs," said Asm. Kean. "It is important that water safety is taught in schools as part of health and physical education. I hope that this is just the beginning, that learning in the classroom leads to actual swim lessons in water."

"The NESPA Foundation is focused on creating more opportunities for children to learn lifesaving water skills and introducing kids to a lifelong love of aquatics," Mondi said. "Drowning prevention starts with building respect for water and understanding water conditions. This bill helps us bring this critical information to more young people in New Jersey."

According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4. Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children 5-14, following motor vehicle crashes. According to data from the NJ Department of Health, 78 people died in New Jersey due to drowning in 2020.

"Drowning is the number one cause of accidental deaths for children under the age of 4, and we believe these tragedies can be avoided with proper education and awareness. Providing this information through our school system will significantly increase the accessibility of this information to children throughout the state, who otherwise might never receive it," said Oehme. "We support this legislation and similar efforts to create a broader range of delivering the message of water safety education and awareness to all."

"The best thing we can do to keep our children safe in the water is to continue talking about the lifesaving skill of learning to swim and increase access to swim education to make water safety a reality for children in need," shared Gaines, three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Vice President of Partnerships and Development for PHTA, who leads the Step Into Swim initiative.

Affirming the NESPA Foundation's commitment to supporting swim education around our region, the Foundation has committed $25,000 to Step into Swim – an initiative of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, and its Foundation committed to safe swim education and drowning prevention. As part of this pledge, the Foundation will match donations made at www.NESPAfoundation.org. The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance will also match this doubled donation, meaning each donation is quadrupled.

Mondi added, "Partnering with Step Into Swim aligns perfectly with our efforts to educate more children and families about water safety."

For those ages 1 to 4, learning to swim from a qualified instructor drastically reduces the risk of drowning by 88 percent and is critical in keeping children safer in the water. The NESPA Foundation shares in Step Into Swim's mission to combat drowning prevention with access to free swimming lessons and educational resources that empower our children to be confident in and around water.

"I am grateful to the NESPA Foundation for their continued support of and generosity to Step Into Swim," said Gaines. "Our donors and sponsors are the driving force behind the success of this program. The NESPA Foundation's commitment to Step Into Swim allows us to help save lives, promote the benefits of swimming, and serve as an educational resource for water safety in communities where it is needed most."

About the NESPA Foundation

The NESPA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the public's pool and spa experience through charitable endeavors. To learn more about The Foundation, visit www.NESPAfoundation.org.

PHTA Launches New Jobseeker Website: WorkInAquatics.com

Marianne Trusty is a Press Correspondent for the pool & spa industry. A published author and social media influencer reaching over 20 million people around the world each day. Contact Marianne about publishing op-editorials, breaking pool news and press releases at [email protected]

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As a community, let's make a difference and put water safety as a top priority this entire pool season, not just during Water Safety Month.

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As Water Safety Month comes to an end, the importance of education and awareness remains a top priority, especially during the busy summer months. Drowning prevention and water safety efforts are ongoing, requiring the collective efforts of both pool owners as well as professionals to educate and promote proper safety measures. As a community, spreading the message, sharing resources, and working with organizations like the National Drowning Prevention Alliance and the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance can help to ensure a safe and enjoyable water experience for everyone.

Drowning is a leading cause of death for children aged 1-4, and it can occur quickly and silently. To effectively prevent drowning incidents, it is crucial to implement multiple layers of protection. By understanding and embracing the five layers of protection, we can actively prevent tragedies and save lives. Take a few minutes to learn these layers, and together we can create a safer environment:

These important facts highlight the critical need for ongoing education, access to swim lessons, and the implementation of preventative measures. Making water safety a priority during the pool season is crucial for families to protect their loved ones and prevent tragic incidents. Children are particularly vulnerable to drowning, and accidents can occur unexpectedly. By implementing better water safety measures, families empower themselves to respond effectively and ensure the well-being of their loved ones.

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(Alexandria, VA) – The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), the trade association representing the swimming pool, hot tub and spa industry, today announced a major milestone in its workforce development program as it launched its brand new jobseeker website, WorkInAquatics.com and robust job board made exclusively for PHTA member companies, careers.WorkInAquatics.com.

The cornerstone of the program is the consumer website, which serves as the program hub and provides jobseekers with critical information about the industry, including in-demand positions, career tracks, earning potential, personal success stories and more. Members of PHTA are invited to create their very own Employer profiles and post jobs free of charge on the only industry-specific job board on the market.

PHTA leadership first revealed plans for the program, known as the Pool Professionals Pipeline, at its board meeting last November. Alongside its experienced steering committee of industry experts, PHTA developed the program to enhance jobseeker awareness of the aquatics industry and to meet the demands for new talent amid member concerns over the labor shortage and the compounded effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The pool and hot tub industry is awash with potential for growth, but like many other industries today, we are limited due to the shortage of skilled labor and younger generations of workers entering trades such as ours," said PHTA President and CEO Sabeena Hickman. "The importance of this program cannot be understated – we heard our members’ concerns loud and clear, and we’re proud to finally unveil this next step in our plan to welcome jobseekers to our industry."

Along with the jobseeker website and job board, the program will be supported by a social media presence on Facebook and LinkedIn, public relations, advertising campaigns and ongoing content development of videos, new resources and other assets. PHTA members can expect additional resources and ways to expand their visibility among today's active jobseekers.

The work for PHTA and the industry is just beginning. "To truly make a splash, we must prioritize investing in recruiting and training a new pool of candidates to join our industry," said Hickman. "Having a visible presence and voice out there advocating for our industry is vital for our continued growth and success. PHTA is committed to supporting this jobseeker awareness campaign for the long-term – and ultimately, to driving engaged and qualified candidates to our members to find their new careers."

To learn more about PHTA's program and access exclusive resources and opportunities, visit phta.org/workforce or contact [email protected].

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The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) Standards Consensus Committee (SCC) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Vice Chair and four new Voting Members. The SCC is PHTA's official consensus voting body, responsible for reviewing and voting on all pool, spa, and hot tub standards to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Members of the SCC are classified into one of four interest categories: Producer, User-Government, User-Consumer, or General Interest.

The new SCC Vice Chair is Bruce Carney, owner of American Pools & Spas in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He is a member in the Producer interest category. Carney has worked in the pool industry since 1970 in various capacities, including construction, design, renovation, facility evaluation, and maintenance. He was very involved with both the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals and the National Swimming Pool Foundation before they merged into PHTA, and has also been both a trainer and a presenter for the American Red Cross.

"I’d like to congratulate Bruce and welcome the new members of the Standards Consensus Committee," says SCC Chair Kris Bridges, MCP, CBO, CZA, Building Official/Zoning Administrator for the City of Martinsville, VA. "I know our new members will bring a significant breadth of knowledge from the areas of pool compliance, advocacy, construction, and operation. The SCC performs an important step in the process of Standards Development and it's wonderful to have these talented professionals on board."

PHTA is the leading industry organization recognized by ANSI to develop and promote national consensus standards for residential and public swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas. In 2023, PHTA is proudly celebrating 40 years of being an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer.

For more information, please visit the Standards Consensus Committee webpage on the PHTA website or contact [email protected].

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