Manatee County Government
Manatee County kicks off Florida Safe Pools campaign on Aug. 27
Manatee County becomes part of Florida Safe Pools, a water safety campaign established by the Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition at All Children’s Hospital.
MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Aug. 23, 2010) – A group of Manatee County’s top health and public safety officials will hold a press conference Friday to kickoff a local campaign for Florida Safe Pools, a water safety campaign established by the Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition at All Children’s Hospital.
Speakers will highlight Florida Safe Pools’ guidelines for improving safety, called the Four Layers of Pool Safety. The event will begin at 10 a.m. and will be held at the Manatee County Public Safety Center, 2101 47th Terrace East Bradenton.
Scheduled to speak are:
• Jean Shoemaker, coordinator of the Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition at All Children's Hospital;
• Dr. Jennifer Bencie, Manatee County Health Department Director;
• Manatee County Emergency Medical Services Chief Ron Koper;
• Manatee County Public Safety Capt. Larry Leinhauser.
An easy-to-understand safety inspection checklist can be found at www.flsafepools.com Parents and guardians who want even more assurance may request a complimentary safety inspection by calling (941) 745-3500, ext. 1640.
“Manatee County will be lead agency for the program in this area,” Leinhauser said. “If someone wants a courtesy pool inspection, (coalition members) will be happy to provide one. There’s a specific checklist we’ll use to take the guesswork out of pool safety. It’s a very simple, easy thing to do that can provide tons of protection.”
Florida leads the nation in drowning deaths for children under 5 years of age. State and national data indicates 76 percent of children under 5 years old drown in residential pools.
For more information, call Leinhauser at (941) 745-3500, ext. 1640. To learn more about Manatee County Government, visit our revamped and improved website, www.mymanatee.org