Maumee, OH (PRWEB) July 2, 2010 -- H2flow is pleased to announce Hastings Water Works as Pool & Spa Contractor of the month for July 2010. Hastings is recognized as an industry leader in VGB compliance solutions in the State of Ohio, and is a strong advocate of H2flow's PSP20 Automatic Pump Shutoff Device. "Having installed over 60 PSP20 units to bring commercial pools into compliance with the VGB Act," says Hastings Service Manager, Matt Cellura, "we have found the PSP20 to be not only the easiest to install among the vacuum release systems, but also the most reliable."

In addition to the PSP20, Hastings Water Works also promotes H2flow's new line of Eco-Flow Variable Frequency Drives, designed to reduce energy costs associated with swimming pool pumps. Eco-Flow - C, which is designed for commercial pool pumps, is currently available, while Eco-Flow - R for residential pools, will become available in the coming months.

With offices serving Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, and surrounding areas, Hastings is the largest Swimming Pool/Hot Tub Service, Maintenance and Management Company in Ohio. Hastings also boasts 20+ Certified Pool Operators and over 400 Professional Lifeguards on staff, a fleet of 17 professional, fully stocked service vehicles, and a 17,000 sq. ft. office, warehouse, and training facility.

In addition to their reputation as a leading service contractor and pool and spa management company, Hastings Water Works is also a two-time winner of the Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management: Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies, and is a strong annual supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of the Western Reserve.

For more information about H2flow and their products, call 888-635-0296, or visit www.h2flow.net.

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(CBS) Just seeing a lifeguard instills a sense of security.

But having a lifeguard at water's edge -- doesn't always mean your pool is safe.

The statistics are sobering. On average, 10 people a day die from unintentional drowning. More than one in 5 drowning deaths involves a child 14 or younger. Some of those cases involve pools where life guards were on duty.

"Early Show" Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen told the story of Yoni Gottesman.

Yoni was just 4 years old when his parents took him to summer camp.

His mother, Anat Gottesman, said, "I remember when I left him in the morning. He said, 'Mommy, I'm so happy. Bye bye. We'll see you later.'"

But that was the last they would see Yoni alive.

Anat said, "You think you can do everything for your child, and in his worst moment, you can't help him."

Yoni drowned in his very first day of camp. His drowning was caught on this surveillance video. In the video, Yoni can be seen struggling to swim to the edge of the pool. And finally, he is floating face-down in the water, even with two lifeguards just feet away. It took eight minutes before anyone noticed.

Gerry Dworkin, a consultant for Lifesaving Resources Inc., a private safety organization, told Koeppen, "We see time and time again where the lifeguard fails to recognize the problem and fail to intervene appropriately."

Dworkin says many people get a false sense of security when a life guard is on duty.

"We estimate that there are 100 plus drownings that occur at guarded facilities every year," he said.

So, "The Early Show" decided to check out lifeguards who were "on duty" at several different pools. The good news: we found plenty paying attention. But some were not as focused, such as a lifeguard at an indoor pool who was flipping through a magazine.

Dworkin said of the lifeguard looking at the magazine, "This should certainly not be allowed."

Another lifeguard was busy putting away swimming noodles.

Dworkin says, "The lifeguard should never turn her back to someone in the pool at any time."

The same lifeguard also did paperwork and sent text messages.

Dworkin told Koeppen, "In my opinion, the telephone has no place at the pool whatsoever."

Another lifeguard was spotted by "The Early Show" texting over and over again, even though the pool was filled with children.

Koeppen asked Dworkin, "On a scale from one to 10, one being pretty bad, 10 being good, how does this lifeguard rank?"

Dworkin replied, "Zero. I think you're better off not having a lifeguard and putting up a sign 'no lifeguard on duty' rather than have a lifeguard operating in this manner."

The Gottesman family thought their son was in good hands at a pool with life guards, but learned the hard way a lifeguard doesn't always equal safety."

Anat told "The Early Show," "We want to feel that yoni he didn't die in vain, that his death will serve a good purpose. And if we can save more kids life, that's what we want to do."

The Gottesmans successfully sued the camp where Yoni died and have now focused their efforts to raising awareness for pool safety. We've been tracking drowning deaths with lifeguards on duty over the past month and we have found several cases in Colorado, Ohio, and North Carolina, everywhere from a town pool to a country club.

Koeppen added on the broadcast that lifeguards should be scanning the pool constantly. In addition, lifeguards should be sitting in an elevated chair, poised and ready to act if an emergency occurs.

However, in the end, Koeppen said nothing can beat parental supervision.

From CBSNews.com © MMX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Below are releases on studies appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

AAP GIVES UPDATED ADVICE ON DROWNING PREVENTION

Before families head to the beach or pool this Memorial Day, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated guidance on water safety and drowning prevention. In its updated policy, the AAP has revised its guidance on swimming lessons and highlights new drowning risks – including large, inexpensive, portable and inflatable pools – that have emerged in the past few years.

Fortunately, drowning rates have fallen steadily from 2.68 per 100,000 in 1985 to 1.32 per 100,000 in 2006. But drowning continues to be the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 19, claiming the lives of roughly 1,100 children in 2006. Toddlers and teenaged boys are at greatest risk.

“To protect their children, parents need to think about layers of protection,” said Jeffrey Weiss, MD, FAAP, lead author of the policy statement and technical report, which will be published in the July print issue of Pediatrics and released early online May 24.

“Children need to learn to swim,” Dr. Weiss said. “But even advanced swimming skills cannot ‘drown-proof’ a child of any age. Parents must also closely supervise their children around water and know how to perform CPR. A four-sided fence around the pool is essential.”

A fence that completely surrounds the pool – isolating it from the house – can cut drowning risk in half. Unfortunately, laws regarding pool fencing may have dangerous loopholes. Large, inflatable above-ground pools can contain thousands of gallons of water and may even require filtration equipment, so they are left filled for weeks at a time. But because they are considered “portable,” these pools often are exempt from local building codes requiring pool fencing. From 2004 to 2006, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported 47 deaths of children related to inflatable pools.

“Because some of these pools have soft sides, it is very easy for a child to lean over and fall headfirst into the water,” Dr. Weiss said. “These pools pose a constant danger.”

In the new policy, the AAP reinforces its existing recommendation that most children age 4 and older should learn to swim, but the AAP is now more open toward classes for younger children. In the past, the AAP advised against swimming lessons for children ages 1 to 3 because there was little evidence that lessons prevented drowning or resulted in better swim skills, and there was a concern parents would become less vigilant about supervising a child who had learned some swimming skills.

But new evidence shows that children ages 1 to 4 may be less likely to drown if they have had formal swimming instruction. The studies are small, and they don’t define what type of lessons work best, so the AAP is not recommending mandatory swim lessons for all children ages 1 to 4 at this time. Instead, the new guidance recommends that parents should decide whether to enroll an individual child in swim lessons based on the child’s frequency of exposure to water, emotional development, physical abilities, and certain health concerns related to pool water infections and pool chemicals.

“Not every child will be ready to learn to swim at the same age,” Dr. Weiss said. “Swimming lessons can be an important part of the overall protection, which should include pool barriers and constant, capable supervision.”

The AAP does not recommend formal water safety programs for children younger than 1 year of age. The water-survival skills programs for infants may make compelling videos for the Internet, but no scientific study has yet demonstrated these classes are effective, the policy states.

The updated policy also outlines the danger of body entrapment and hair entanglement in a pool or spa drain. Special drain covers and other devices that release the pressure in a drain can prevent such incidents.

AAP offers specific advice for parents:

• Never – even for a moment – leave small children alone or in the care of another young child while in bathtubs, pools, spas or wading pools, or near irrigation ditches or standing water. Bath seats cannot substitute for adult supervision. Empty water from buckets and other containers immediately after use. To prevent drowning in toilets, young children should not be left alone in the bathroom.
• Closely supervise children in and around water. With infants, toddlers and weak swimmers, an adult should be within an arm’s length. With older children and better swimmers, an adult should be focused on the child and not distracted by other activities.
• If children are in out-of-home child care, ask about exposure to water and the ratio of adults to children.
• If you have a pool, install a four-sided fence that is at least 4 feet high to limit access to the pool. The fence should be hard to climb (not chain-link) and have a self-latching, self-closing gate. Families may consider pool alarms and rigid pool covers as additional layers of protection, but neither can take the place of a fence.
• Children need to learn to swim. AAP supports swimming lessons for most children 4 years and older. Classes may reduce the risk of drowning in younger children as well, but because children develop at different rates, not all children will be ready to swim at the same age.
• Parents, caregivers and pool owners should learn CPR.
• Do not use air-filled swimming aids (such as inflatable arm bands) in place of life jackets. They can deflate and are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
• All children should wear a life jacket when riding in a boat. Small children and nonswimmers should also wear one at water’s edge, such as on a river bank or pier.
• Parents should know the depth of the water and any underwater hazards before allowing children to jump in. The first time you enter the water, jump feet first; don’t dive.
• When choosing an open body of water for children to swim in, select a site with lifeguards. Swimmers should know what to do in case of rip currents (swim parallel to the shore until out of the current, then swim back to the shore).
• Counsel teenagers about the increased risk of drowning when alcohol is involved.

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Originally posted by Pool Genius Networks

After seven years with the same company, the Plain Township trustees Dec. 28 unanimously voted to use Brecksville-based Hastings Water Works to operate and manage the Plain Township Aquatic Center.

Township officials previously used Lewis Center-based Columbus Pool Management for the aquatics center on Swickard Woods Boulevard but decided to switch to Hastings after receiving unexpected charges and problems when talking with company representatives, trustees chairman Dave Ferguson said.

The township, which also looked at Hastings last year, agreed to enter into a one-year contract with Hastings for $169,900, including both management and pool opening and closing services.

CMP would have cost the township $148,540 for similar services.

A representative from CMP attended the trustees' meeting and said the township would not incur unexpected costs if trustees were to choose CPM.

"I just want to clarify some things that are in our contract this year," said Dan Phillips, the township's CPM account manager. "It is different than what we have done in the past. There will be no additional charges for more lifeguards next year."

Ferguson said he was confident in the research that township officials had conducted prior to making their recommendations. Both township administrator J.B. Bowe and assistant administrator Ben Collins recommended using Hastings.

"I know that the township was very disappointed with how things were handled at one time," Ferguson said. "I think it was two years ago, and they felt like they weren't dealt with in the most equitable way. I was disappointed in CPM and the relationship and how that transpired."

He said Hastings officials provided more details about their services.

"My opinion is based on all the different bullet points," Ferguson said. "This is a lot more specific and very spelled-out services from Hastings, and I know that Eileen (Hull) and J.B. and Ben have reviewed that and are all recommending them."

Bowe said he thought Hastings was the right choice for the township this year.

"We feel like we have come a long way with CMP, but we feel very strong about trying to put the pool on its own," Bowe said. "We feel like with Hastings, they offered us more for our money."

According to the Hastings Web site, the company, formed in 1992, is the largest pool service, maintenance and management company in Ohio.

Hastings serves such clients as the Cleveland Clinic, Oberlin College, the village of Perry and the city of Bedford Heights.

The Plain Township Aquatic Center is scheduled to open Saturday, May 29, 2010. The season will run through Monday, Sept. 6.

Originally posted by ThisWeekNews.com

New research reveals that people’s pool hygiene may be a lot worse than you think, and swim diapers aren’t helping matters. Two separate reports were released recently and experts say both underscore the need for greater efforts to educate users on proper pool behavior, especially in aquatics facilities.

In a survey by the Water Quality & Health Council nearly half of all respondents (47 percent) admitted to engaging in one or more unhealthy pool behaviors. One in five said they have urinated while in a public pool, and approximately one-third said they forgo a pre-swim shower.

“We did the survey because each year we talk about how it’s important for swimmers to be hygienic, and we wanted to get some real numbers on this,” said Linda Golodner, Water Quality & Health Council vice chair and National Consumers League president emeritus. “It shows the media and the public this is a problem, that people are not being hygienic when they go in the pool — and it makes big difference as far as their own health is concerned.”

A growing body of research suggests that urine, as well as other body fluids such as sweat, can cause respiratory problems, skin rashes and other physical ailments when mixed with the chlorine in the pool water to form disinfection byproducts.

Epidemiologist Michele Hlavsa of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she and her colleagues weren’t surprised by the latest studies. “In fact, we suspect the actual percentage of people who pee in the pool could be higher and that only 17 percent admit to doing it,” Hlvasa said. “As we’ve seen in other studies, swimmers don’t always see the connection between their behaviors and the quality of the water in which they swim.”

Pool operators and patrons also need to think twice about swim diapers. According to research led by Dr. James Amburgey from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, swim diapers do not protect against the spread of the recreational water illness cryptosporidium.

Amburgey and his team tested various swim diapers, including disposables and the reusable variety — with and without vinyl diaper covers. They simulated the release of disease-causing microspheres and found swim diapers release approximately 50 percent of the microspheres within one minute. Vinyl diaper covers lower the rate to about 25 percent.

Amburgey noted that while swim diapers are certainly effective on dry land, once a child is in the water, “the take-home message is these things don’t hold in the crypto.”
“I think the swim diapers provide a false sense of security,” he added. “We need to develop products that work or technologies that will remove the crypto.”

Amburgey’s research was funded by the National Swimming Pool Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo. “I think the biggest bottom line for us is, it reinforces that educating consumers and making sure they don’t get in the water when they have diarrhea is still paramount,” said Tom Lachocki, Ph.D., CEO of the NSPF.