The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is announcing a 90-day solicitation seeking applications for a special Pool Safely Grant Program offered to state and local governments. CPSC will award up to $2 million dollars in two-year grants to assist jurisdictions in reducing deaths and injuries from drowning and drain entrapment incidents in pools and spas. The Pool Safely grant program is a part of CPSC's national campaign to make drowning and drain entrapment prevention a critical public safety priority.
The grant program is made possible through the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act), legislation authored and advanced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida). Congress passed the VGB Act, and President George W. Bush signed the measure into law in December 2007. The VGB seeks to provide state and local governments with assistance for education, training and enforcement of pool safety requirements.
“CPSC is proud to continue supporting communities in their efforts to educate consumers about drowning and entrapment dangers and to enforce pool safety laws locally,” says CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. “This funding will assist state and local programs in continuing this lifesaving work to reduce these drowning tragedies.
Applicants must be a state or local government or U.S. territory that has an enacted or amended state and/or local law(s) that meets the requirements of the Pool and Spa Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 8001), 15 U.S.C. 8004 and 15 U.S.C 8005.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the solicitation on Grants.gov, under grant opportunity CPSC-19-001. Applications will be accepted through June 5, 2019.
CPSC's website: www.PoolSafely.gov, has supplemental information about the Pool Safely Grant Program and the VGB Act. Poolsafely.gov has a broad range of free, downloadable information for the general public, state and local officials, the swimming pool and spa community and the media.
The requirements of this child safety law have helped reduce the risk of drowning. The requirements include installing new safety drain covers and physical barriers, such as a fence completely surrounding the pool with self-closing, self-latching gates and, if the house forms a side of the barrier, using alarms on doors leading to the pool area and/or a power safety cover over the pool. Click here to see additional pool safety tips.
