Child Safety Source Interview with Paula Arrubla-DiGrigoli

Paula Arrubla-DiGrigoli is returning for a second episode of Child Safety Source. To celebrate our 60^th broadcast, Life Saver Pool Fence’s president, Eric Lupton, decided to reach back out to the water safety expert from our 10^th episode.

Paula Arrubla-DiGrigoli is the Executive Director of the NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition and a board member of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Paula is a tireless advocate for child safety and public health, having previously worked on child obesity, SIDS, and drowning prevention.

Our regular fans love these informal chats with experts who work tirelessly to keep our children out of harm’s way.

Today, please take some time to watch our full video interview with Paula Arrubla-DiGrigoli:

Getting to Know Paula

As we mentioned, Paula Arrubla-DiGrigoli works for the NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition. As the name implies, her organization aims to improve health care outcomes and works to prevent injuries for children. Beyond water safety, the NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition also develops programs that combat childhood obesity and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). You can learn more at the official website.

Additionally, Paula is a board member of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. As you heard in the interview, so is Eric. During the interview, the two were excitedly discussing the yearly event that brings together experts from all across the country. By working together, the NDPA aims to reduce the incidence of drowning and aquatic injuries in the U.S. and abroad.

The NDPA’s mission statement is: “United, we can prevent the tragedy of drowning.” As you can tell, Eric and Paula both greatly believe in this cause. To learn more about the NDPA, visit its official website.

Looking for More Child Safety Source Interviews?

If you enjoyed our second interview with Paula Arrubla-DiGrioli, you’ll probably love our earlier episodes. To give them a shot, please follow Life Saver Pool Fence on our official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Additionally, please take a moment to check out our official YouTube channel. There, you’ll find the entire collection of Child Safety Source video interviews and more.

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Below is a direct transcript of the Child Safety Source interview with Paula Arrubla-DiGrigoli from January 14th, 2019:

Eric Lupton: Okay. Just like that. We’re live on the internet. How’s it going, Paula?

Paula Arrubla-DiGrigoli: Hi Eric. Thank you for having me.

Eric:  Thank you for coming on again. This is the second time.

Paula: The second time. Yeah. I’m so honored to be again, the last time I had a wonderful time and I can be how many people was reached with the podcast. Thank you.

Eric:  I know. It’s amazing. Right?

Paula: Amazing. Thank you. And I enjoy every podcast that you are doing. I thank you for doing that because I think a lot of people are being reached, what a great way to do that.

Eric: Thank you. And I enjoy it. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it. So, it’s something I like doing and it’s fun for me. It’s neat to talk to, you know, interesting, intelligent people who are doing a great job. Like you are, you know, and it’s neat that you’re part of a very small club now. People who have been on more than once. Oh yeah. It’s you Alyssa and I think there’s one more and that’s it. Yeah.

Paula: Right. Now I’m even more honored. Thank you.

Eric: Absolutely. No, I think, you know, with the summer season coming up I want to bring back a lot of people don’t want to last year who came on and talking about water safety. I think that’d be a good thing. I know that everybody’s got a lot of different stuff going on this year and new things happening. So, you know, I want to give all of them the opportunity to come back and discuss those things. So it’ll be good. And speaking of which I know you do and in just a few weeks you are going to be at the NFDA conference.

Paula: Yes. And the TN in New Orleans. Yeah. They had the most of speakers that they had ever.  The registrations are out and the hotel has been filled out a couple of times and they keep adding more rooms and I think it’s going to be a wonderful, wonderful conference.

Eric: That’s awesome. For anybody who doesn’t know. Paula is on the Board of Directors of the National {inaudible} drowning alliance which is a position I used to do a few years ago, which is kind of cool. I think you came in right as I left. You took my spot, we’ll say.

Paula: Oh, okay.

Eric:  It was a good spot. So I’m glad that you took it.

Paula: yeah. A big yeah, definitely a big position to fill.

Eric: And you’re also the Executive Director of the NCH Safe and Healthy {hospital} So this hospital, no collision, that hospital but yeah, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance conference every year is probably the largest single water safety event in the country. And it’s my favorite to go to. They’re a great organization and the conferences is amazing. And they’ve been talking about having it New Orleans for probably a thousand years, give or take. They wanted it to be in New Orleans for so long every year when we were debating which city to put it in, New Orleans was always at the top. People were always loving from New Orleans,

Paula:  And definitely they had seen an increase of attendance because I feel bad is that, you know, take advantage.

Eric: Yeah. People always want to New Orleans, I knew it was a kind of an inevitability that you guys would go there. I’m glad you did when you did. I’ll be there. I’m one of the many speakers you have this year and I’ll actually be interviewing Bob Pratt on this show on the podcast, but live in front of an audience which I’ve never done before, so that should be exciting.

Paula: Right. Great. And Bob is awesome.

Eric: Bob is awesome.

Paula: Yeah, he’s looking forward to seeing you bay area and for anyone, you know, definitely it costs money, but it’s so worth it. Some of the initiatives that we have implemented here locally with a great success has been because of the connections that I have made at the conferences. Like, it’s too dark. I’m still learning and at so many, so many things that you always, always learn, even that you think you have done or know everything. You always are going to learn something new and make a new connection.

Eric: So is there anything going on at the conference new this year that people should know about or…

Paula: They have definitely, they have a newer speakers I feel because when Sensei, which is nothing wrong, but you have the same speakers, but they have newer speakers and I think a lot of the you know, the different water safety programs how they’re doing it. Not so much summer research about some of the programs that have been done nationwide. But yeah, I think he’s definitely, the more variety I feel this year. Um, yeah.

Eric: Awesome. So someone wants to find out about the conference. Where did they go?

Paula: They go to NDPA.org. Oh my God. Let me make sure, that I am doing the right thing.

Eric:  You’re right that’s it. I know it is NDPA.org and they have another website that I believe this NDPAconference.com or NDPAcommerce.org.

Paula: Yes, if you go to the NDPA.org .  Yeah. You can get there in and actually we are getting ready to launch a brand new website for NDPA.

Eric: That’s awesome.

Paula: And it’s going to be awesome. Yeah. We have contract graphic designers slash a website developer and she has been an amazing job. But yeah, you go to ndpa.org Or you will be able to see a tab for the 2019 educational conference, some right there.

Eric: That’s fantastic yeah, you need a website to match that new logo.

Paula: I know, I know. I know. Yeah and that is what its so awesome to have a graphic design every cause she understand you know, branding and the importance to keep the branding, you know, along with the logo and everything else that has been done.

Eric: My biggest accomplishment when I was on the board of the NDPA in my opinion, was getting to the logo change to what it is now

Paula: Nice. Okay.

Eric:  We guys had the old logo since you’ve started. And one of the first things I did was I worked on getting that logo change and I had a bunch of designers and they did submissions and I called through them for several weeks and came up to like a final four and the board voted and picked that one. And so my legacy for the NDPA is the logo you guys have so

Paula: awesome. And I think everybody loves them.  I love the color. And also what it stands like people holding hands. It’s great. I bet you’re going to be very pleased when you see the new website with the {salon} with the brand…

Eric:  Perfect. Yeah. The four pillars right each end represents one of the four colors. And it’s cool.  So, but the main reason I wanted to talk to you is because there’s exciting stuff going on with the new law in Florida. In fact, it’s exactly what I’ve been pushing for since the law got changed not last July, July before last,

Paula: Two years ago, yeah.

Eric: when they added the alarm provision. And ever since California adopted their law, I’ve been saying that we need something just like that and thankfully, you know a hero is arisen from you know, from the ashes, so to speak, and kind of taking the torch on this in Brittany and after her son {Inaudible} and drown she got to work and she’s done something quite frankly, that we haven’t been able to do. We’ve been doing this for years and within a few months she’s, you know, she’s kicked the doors down and made it happen. And it’s

Eric: amazing. It’s really, really, truly phenomenal so if you can you explain the proposed law that cases caused?

Paula: Yes. Like you said you, actually what kind of surprise when we find out a couple, like a month ago that the bill was introduced in {inaudible} in the senate in the house and we’re like what, what is this and especially that it was done very well.  You can tell {Winnie} did her homework and how wonderful that she had the senators, you know behind them. The Senator Cooper is the {lady} from the senate and then now the House has poor legislators cosponsoring.  Definitely she did the homework and when we find out first, we read and we’re like, oh my goodness, this is like a  dream come through and be sad how these came because the was the loss of her son in September 28 in 2017.  but if you know  sometimes when I talked to her, I said [inaudible] is going to save a lot of lives because through the, through this law, but the law is like you said, the current law only has one of the {many years} that is required when you build a pool, its only one, but then these new bill will be allowed, will be two layers and then of course you can choose what are those two layers will be, which will be the fence, the alarms, the gates and also the flooring alarm on the pool. But the other part that I liked personally, and I don’t know if the floor and is the California law has that one is about when you purchase a new home that you are required to have these two safety components you know, before you are able to sell their home. Because we have had here locally many times that people buy a new home and they come from out of state. They are no aware of the dangers of having a pool. And then like in Cape Coral, which is not that far away from where I live, maybe like two years ago, they week that the family moving, they still were in boxes and they were of course super busy getting everything out of the boxes. The little boy I believe was a boy. A three year old was able to get out of the house. And because he was no alarm nor the fence, the baby fence the little boy drowned in. And I think in New York, I seen was like three years ago. Was it two twins, twin brothers, the same scenario?  The first month that they just have move in, it happened for me is because if your bull was built before, I think that 2000 Lao when it was implemented

Paula: Without saying one was grandfather in a and nobody was going to have the knowledge that you have to do that and then you were able to sell the home without doing anything. But I feel one, you know, definitely to have the two ladies but also for me is that when you sell a home that you are required now to how they to lay use as well. And I feel that, you know, most of the families are going to, most likely to afford a home that maybe a home that maybe it was built already in that way, you know, they are going to be aware now of the dangers not that dangerous, but now the pool in the house going to be safer now because of the two layers that is going to be required.

Eric: So for anyone who doesn’t know that accepted {inaudible}in pool safety is that, the more layers of protection you have in place, the safer the pool is and that the solution to drowning in pools, which is the number one cause of accidental death for children between one and four years old. The way you fix that is by implementing multiple layers of protection between the home and the pool. And those lawyers are typically described as parents supervision, high locks, all the doors and windows alarms and all the doors, the windows, a pool safety fence, separating the home from the pool, isolating the pool in the backyard, swim lessons so the child knows how to swim, alarms in the pool, they go off if the child does access to water. And finally CPR is probably the last lawyer of protection. I might be missing one, but that’s, that’s pretty much the idea is that the more layers you have, the closer you get to a fail safe system as possible.

Eric: And my family coined the idea in the term of layers in production back in 1989, my dad wrote a book and Literature Protection was a chapter in the book. It was on how to childproof the home and he had a chapter on water safety and he came up with water safety and he came up with the lawyer protection in the book and then he presented it to the CPS and the Broward health department and the late eighties. But yeah, so the layers are protection has been something we’ve been passionate about since my dad came up in the late eighties. But the water safety community as a whole is kind of adopted as the way that you stop the drowning because it works, you know, the more layers you have, the less likely a drowning is. And I’ve been using an idea called Swiss cheese} model.

The idea is that if you have stacks of Swiss cheese, right, they’ve got holes in them. So each slice of cheese is a layer of protection. And they’ve got holes, right? But for a drowning to occur, you have to have a clear view from the top of the stack to the bottom of the table, right where all the holes line up. So every slice of cheese you have in a way and in a row rather, the less likely all the holes line up right there is, it was more like the newest one is going to be in the way. So that’s kind of a neat way of thinking about it.

Paula: No, completely! I’m going to steal that idea. And when I explained the layer suppressed prep, everything, you know, protection, I’m going to definitely use user because it gives them a very, you know, Vishal to understanding so that, you know, like for me  it does makes a lot of sense because we as a parent cannot supervise our children 24, seven. Of course when you have a pool party and a family gathering, you have to have the water watcher, they signees. But when you are in unfortunately a lot of the drownings happen when the family is not even using the pool and that is why, you know, these barriers, these physical barriers are so important and this is what this deal is all about because we are going to be going to the bathroom, cooking, taking care of the other siblings.

Eric: Sleeping. You got to sleep. Yeah, yeah,

Paula: yeah. And that is why we have to have this because we know some of these layers are going to fail and the more that you have the least likelihood the child is going to get to the body of water is not going to prevent them. And we always say no, want to be 100% preventable because they’re going to try it.  Maybe the alarm, the batteries have not going to work, the child is going to try to climb the fence, but the more that you are going to have all this layer, then less likely who they’re going to achieve.  It took it to the pubic cause they are curious and they love the water and I know meaning people have said, yeah, but it’s government telling us what to do. But sometimes government, and I’m the first one to say, yeah, we don’t need more regulation. However, in sometimes regulation is what it’s going to save lives. And I know you are the one that says, you know, you don’t own a car right now without a seatbelt you not own a pool the fence. And I was looking at some of the data to be ready for this interview about the seatbelt thing and  I

Paula: just feel that the national highway traffic safety administration says that because now he’s alone, that you wear a seatbelt every year they say that they pay 15,000 alive every year. I saved because of this law in the CDC said that times 1975 I give us when the law was implemented, no, all in every single state, but most of the states now have this law. 250,000 lives have been saved. That means government regulations are, you know, in some cases in most of the cases save lives and that is what it is. He did. We need these regulation because we know, you know people that have been working on these and have seen the statistic, I’ve seen the reports of every child that had drowned. We know that a layer could have prevented or multiple layer have prevented it that that tragedy.

Eric: Yeah. It was so nice about the laws being proposed is that it takes this idea of there’s a protection, which we all agree is the right way to do it. He knows it’s a water safety community. You know, it believes it’s the way you stopped drownings and it turns out idea in the law in order requires you to have more than one layer of protection and then it gives you a list of I think five or seven. I’m not sure if they’ve finalized.

Paula: I think it’s five that they have and they are very doable in not that expensive. So it gives you a choice. He’s telling you to two {of] those.

Eric: you know, what the five options are.

Paula:  yeah, let me give, make sure that I gave you the, they write first one isthe pool must be isolated from access to a home buyer in clothes that makes the pool barrier requirements, which you will be the pool fence..

Eric: Yep.

Paula:  the second one will be a diploma be equipped with an approved safety pool cover and you’ll see those more up North. You don’t see them here too often. And this is no cover. This is a  cover Yeah,

Eric: Safety covered, there’s an advertising important cover where there’s actually an elephant standing on the cover. There are not {just an alert cover is very strong, and you could walk on them. It’s a very different thing. Yeah.

Paula: And then the third one is all doors and windows providing the reacts is from the home to the pool must be equipped with that exit alarm that has a minimal sound pressure rating of 85 DBA at 10 feet. And this is another one because the one that I have in my house and in my pool is different. But this is how the alarm will work is that when somebody opens it, it’s going to be a little bit loud when somebody opens a window or the door. This is how it is going to be {Sound] in that way if you are in the bathroom, you’re going to be able to hear that somebody opened the door or the window.

Eric:  then there’s a pastor button then that alarm, right? So if you want to go in the backyard, you push a button and then you have seven seconds to open the door, get out into the backyard and close it behind you. And then there’s a button on the outside as well, I’m guessing.

Paula: Yeah, totally. You’re absolutely right. But that button, because he’s so high, a child won’t be able to do and dies only one.  However, because people say, yeah, but I don’t have {inaudible} that bottom that you’re talking about because in Florida we leave in December, January around this time it’s beautiful and sometimes we want to have the sliding doors open of course we do not recommend that if you have children, but if you still have children or grandchildren, you have the option to turn it up and that way you’re able to do that. I mean, it’s an option to definitely to do that. And then the other one all those providing direct access from the home to the pool must be equipped with a self-closing, have latching device with a release mechanism place. Nowhere that 64 inches above the floor. And then the last one is a swimming pool alarm that when placing the pools sounds an alarm upon detection of accident or authorized entrance to the water and then explains, you know, which kind of pool alarm is this, the five choices that people will have.

Eric: Very doable for someone. I mean if you wanted to do the bare minimum, which I wouldn’t recommend, you could get an alarm on your door and a high lock on your door and you’re very good. I mean that’s, those are two. So if anybody really wanted to escape, escape by good offense though. Yeah. Wow.

Paula:  For me yeah, the pool thing too is just because somebody is going to leave the door open or babies connected it and then they pull from something that is always there and people get used to it but anyway, I feel that Sabrina and I know you’re going to have her in your podcast, she just, you know, she’s amazing and she’s coming to the NDPA and, and we are going to have a feeling that we are going to be celebrating that these law is going to be passed

Eric: Is awesome. And you know, one of the things about the pool fence is that it protects the pool for the whole neighborhood, right. So the door, the window alarms, the locks on the doors, those are protecting the people in your house. But the pool fence protects the pool from everybody.  So the neighbor comes over an animal or someone’s dog or cat makes it in your backyard , if somebody else, it’ll makes it to your pool, that doesn’t come from inside your house, then the pool fence is kind of protect the pool from them or vice versa.

Paula: I remember that turning into 2004, when we had all those hurricanes, Michelle Alvarez, she and her son, Beau, they were I think it’s in west palm where they live she he got out of her house. He was with a babysitter and because the cage fence was destroyed by one of the hurricanes since 2004, he drowned. He had a brain damage and he died I think seven years later and I remember when we had Irma in 2017 that was my biggest concern because we were very effective here in Naples. I remember I right away called coding {Inaudible} and then they’d sent out a press release and a statement saying that if your cage or fence was damaged by Irma by large, you needed to secure your pole and they were different ways that they kind of course the different companies was super crazy VC trying to fix everybody and I know if you look in the DCF report, there were couple of drowning that has happened and they owe their coasts because their homes were on secure because of Irma, the wings, destroying the fence and they, and the cage, I mean, you’re absolutely right you don’t know, even if you don’t have a pool, your children can be playing. I’ve tried, but if the pool on and your neighbor is not protected it’s at a danger situation right there.

Eric: We get calls during every hurricane asking if they should take the fence down. And I always say, you can but I would leave it up because you don’t know the fence actually has to do pretty well. The pool fence go sometimes it’s still a physical object. It, you know, it can get knocked down like anything else. But I’d rather have a fence that’s mostly up and you know, sort of doing his job, especially in a situation where the perimeter fence might get knocked down, where the pool gauge might get torn away, where you might have a window broken that you don’t know about or you know, sliding glass door that got damaged and you know, your house isn’t quite as secure as it normally is. So I would say, you know, leave it up, you know, worst case scenario, your homeowner’s insurance replaces it, you got to buy another one, you know, when he gets covered but you know, it’s safer to leave it up so that way you know, your pool a secure in those critical moments right after the hurricane. So that’s a great point. You know, and the other thing I think about when it comes to neighbors and having your pool protected is children with autism, children with autism are really prone to wondering and the vast majority who get out of the house end up drowning I think. And I never can believe this number, but I looked it up last time 90% of children who get out of the home who have autism drown.

Paula:  And the leading cause of death for them, we have a program where we do swim central but different centrally is adapted for them and he’s one on one and is amazing the result how parents feel {Inaudible} water is so nice, he said. What else are we provided or alarms that I just showed to them because you have totally right. We had a couple cases here locally where they was maybe like two years ago, a four year old little girl. She got out of her house and she drone in the neighborhood school. She climbed the fence and you know, I don’t know how in the world, you know, she definitely, they were maybe something that she was able to step in and they went over the fence and she drowns and we know that the dies every son. I’m glad that you brought that up because you need to secure your pool. Even if you don’t have children or grandchildren you need to secure your pool because of the children that they could be in your neighborhood?

Eric: Yeah. It’s kind of a responsibility if you own the pool to make sure it’s safe for everyone.

Paula: Yes, it’s safe for everybody

Eric: If you got the responsibility to make sure you didn’t leave it out in the street or you know, you’d want to mail it, make sure it’s protected. So I think it’s Kind of the same thing.

Paula: No, and the thing is, with these law, we just don’t think people realize or aware that Florida leads the nation for drowning deaths, 88 children according to DCF drown at last year. And they don’t even see it. Every single one.  We know like in Collier County we had three children last year. Two were related to a motor vehicle accident, but the cost of a dead was drowning. But then report it only shows one. That means that number 88, this maybe definitely higher.  We have when the four year old little girl, she was not shown in the report of the DCF that means that 88 is definitely a higher number, but 88 children, 88 family is completely destroyed. And I know most of them, if we have had these layers, they will know how to have these tragedies are happening to those families.

Eric: Yeah. It would be interesting to see how much the numbers go down in the years following the implementation of this law, once they gets kicked in and people start moving and they have to put it in the lyrics of production. I think it’s going to make a big difference. I really do. I think really a lot of people are going to, you know, be saved. You know, there’s no way to know who would have drowned. Right. Which is kind of, you know, the hardest thing. But I think a lot of people who, I think the numbers would go down, so

Paula:  And they go down because I know a lot of people are doing a lot of things locally, but well we need the help. We need their help with the legislators and this is what we all were dreaming.  And thank you for Winnie for doing that in Wyoming. It, she did an amazing job because she definitely is doing it right, but she needs our help. She needs our help because it has been, right now it’s in different committees and we need to contact those legislators from those committees, the house bill four for this is 88 oh five and then the Senate bill is seven 24 you know, if you go and look for those deals, you will be able to see in which committees they are in this moment. But we need to contact those legislators. It asks them and played them, you know, to please for them to, to approve and to go to the next level, is definitely is looking better. The house was I concerned before, but now that he has now five legislators coming, sponsoring it tells you that definitely is looking very positive. However, the bottle has not been over and we need to until they pass is when we can celebrate. But right now our job is to contact those legislators and even your local legislators, if they are knowing that in those communities for them to reach to those legislators in those committees. And ask them to please because this bill is going to save lives.

Eric: So that’s exactly what I was going to ask you is, you know, what can we do to kind of, you know, anybody who’s seen this, anybody who’s passionate about water safety, who wants to see lives saved in Florida. And it hopefully, you know, if this law passes in Florida and it’s similar to the one in California then other states like Texas and Arizona and places where there’s so many drownings, you know, around the country, maybe they’ll start to emulate the laws that we have, which is so it’s important not just full of Florida but across the country. You know, if we get this law we can establish a foothold to start replicating it in other states. So it’s important for Florida, but it’s important for everybody.

Paula: For everybody. Yes.

Eric: So to make it real simple, where do people go and how do people kind of, {crosstalk}

Paula: Maybe I don’t know Eric, we can put the link directly to that, but they have eight o five. Okay. And the Senate bill is seven two, four. And when you go to the link to look for the bills you see like the status of where the bill is, they committees that they have there? Like right now, I know that the Senate bill is in the community affairs committee and if you click on the “community,” it will take you to the comedian. You will see all the names of all the legislators, the senator’s Hillary, and then you will be able to contact them right there through the website. And also you can sign up to get updates about the, the bill and the house and the Senate. But the call to action right now is that everybody needs to be emailing and calling those legislators from those committees. But also the local one because the local one, uh, you know, your local legislators can encourage those legislators in those committees to pass it. The more people that are aware, you know, in most support, you know, they, the most likelihood it’s going to pass.

Eric: So right now, the name of the committee is what, community?

Paula: The community affair that is the standard and then the one in the house, I believe it’s a business and professional subcommittee is the one that has it and I believe it’s next week when they’re going to be having this meeting, but it hasn’t been posted on the website. And in Bob Bill that mean that is the reason I read every morning I go and check up to the links what is the status but I know I was talking with Brittany and right now is the call to action is for everybody to call those people from those communities so reach out to your local legislators.

Eric: Perfect. So yeah, if you’ll just leave the link in the comments to this then…

Paula:  I will.

Eric: {inaudible} comments here and I’ll pin that if I can at the top. So we’ll make sure it’s easy for everyone and yeah, if we can do that, I think if you know these legislators see there  is an outpouring of support locally in Florida and beyond for the legislation. I think there, there’s no reason not to do it for them. So.

Paula: Yeah. Knowing that people, I know you guys have a wonderful video about, you know, not to take away about the children who have died due to gun and make us, that is another issue in that I kind of the subject that you know, to discuss, but you know, but there are more children that die because of, of drought that where we have a gun, nd it’s a lot of attention about gun control, which again, it’s a different topic, but we have 88 children last year. I don’t think people realize that people don’t know. Yeah. You hear once a while, but then they don’t understand the big issue that will lead the nation. Let’s hope that we tell you to stop leading the nation. And we do that in two years. That would be a dream. And in this bill will do that.

Eric: Yeah. I look forward to lead the nation, it having, you know, the best pool safety law in the country. I don’t want to lose the {License] you know or the most people getting sunburned, you know, not, uh, yeah.

Paula:  And we don’t want it to be mean. And I know some people said we don’t want to scare people to come to Florida and no, wonderful. I guess I was talking with one of the realtors in town and I said, “I don’t want the real stuff selling”. Of course, you know, selling oh comes with full it. How wonderful would be that when you sell a pool that the new family is going to be aware of the dangers they going to have at least two of these layers in place. We already had a drowning and the beginning of the year, the second week of January, it was a family from Chicago that was 29 at home and they were now aware and I will assume none of these layers of protection and because most likely in Chicago they don’t have a pool maybe they live in apartment buildings. That is what I’m just thinking. And we see this over and over. Families from outside Florida coming and then leaving the state with other child because they were no aware or there was no layers in their home that they were renting or they just purchase and I think that is what we want people to come to Florida. We don’t want to scare them, but we want no parents or no families to leave the state without a child because they drowned.

Eric: Hey, you know, if you’ll move up to, you know, Chicago or in New York, you’re going to have to deal with the cold and you educate yourself and you, and you buy, you know, bigger coats and you know, all the different layers of protection you need to protect yourself from the elements. You know, same thing if you move to Florida, you know, people need to be aware of what we have here, which is the swimming pools. So it’s important. Yeah.

Paula: Yeah. My Dad’s saying, yes, please. People, we will put the links, uh, amber people, please take the time. And I know some people do to their work, they are not able to do that especially like for the Department of Health or some of the government

Paula: agencies. However you can do it from your personal email US citizen, you are a voter, you can do it but yet we need these, they will be very sad that bring me on her work and all her support that she’s getting from these legislators that those can pass because we didn’t get together as a community, as a water safety advocate and helper. Okay.

Eric: 100%. Awesome. So is there anything else going on that you want people to know about?

No, I’m just definitely we are giving up a mains of 60 months, may 15 years, international water safety month the American Red Cross in the diversity and aquatic, uh, they have a wonderful website and you can even order is speakers and download some of the lesson plans. We had done it here locally. I think this is going to be the third year. I will probably like Collier County public district public school district. They actually order 45,000 of these stickers and they do on May 15th. They do always either doing the morning announcements or different activities where PE or health classes, but this is a different way to raise awareness about water safety and also the proclamations. I know the new governor, he’s going to be doing a proclamation about water safety. What a smart Florida, you know, as we all know is a task force.

And I’m involved in that and I know you have many people in your podcast that is part of that tax for, they’re getting ready to do a letter of support of this bill but yes, they the more, and also still go to the Lifesaver Pool Fence system. You guys do an amazing job with all the information and CDO and post.  I do that all the time. I just go and share some of the, wonderful awesome post but the more information that we can always share, we do need to all work together. I mean, it’s definitely continue promoting the layers of protection because no one laid here can prevent the tragedy of the rounding.

Eric: Yeah. I think we’re up to six, seven posts a day.

Paula: Oh, nice. Nice.

Eric:  We’re trying to really be prolific in the amount of content we put out on Facebook just because it’s important.

Paula: Nice and important. Then it’s something to share with you is that our coalition was elected by the national leadership and public health, which is part of the CDC and they do this every year. We are one of eight cohort in the nation that had been selected and we are, I’m going to be going to Atlanta next week and I work research project, he’s about drowning prevention messages in social media. We are going to be doing a research to see if the messages that we are using is changing behavior or not. We are going to be doing the control group and a control group and I will keep you on inform of how that goal is when we are very, very excited about because we know social media is the way to get the parents and the young people  to understand and to be educated.

Eric: That’s fantastic. Congratulations on that.

Paula: Yeah, I don’t think you very exciting. Yes, it is what I am excited just for us to understand more about, you know, what  works and what doesn’t work in social media because that is the way for us to, to promote.  They all alternatives that we used to do that is not the way anymore.

Eric: And social media is not the way of the future is right now. Like it’s happening currently. You know, people who say that, you know, social media is the future of, you know, communication and advertising it’s now it’s currently happening it’s not just for kids. You know, 45 50 year olds, the first thing they do in the morning is check their Facebook. So it’s a, it’s all age groups. It’s all, it’s all demographics,

Paula: But I always recommend to people is that like, for example you guys have something a post, a wonderful post. Like right now I’m looking the one that the lifeguards are no glorified babysitter. I go to the group, ma’am. Um, because every community has these mom groups on Facebook, which are close loop. You know, I share these posts all the time in those groups and you will be very curious to see, you know, the outreach that this post for having because he’s like mom talking to mom and I, and I keep saying that the people, you know, stop, you know, maybe you’re spending money on a big ads in some of the newspapers, which is still good, but it just definitely social media is that you say is there right now and you can just definitely, definitely can, uget some more people in and also to get those wonderful polls, you know, share in those group moms. It just is,

Eric: Moms groups are great. I talk about this all the time and you know when, whenever I have a lifesaver appointments dealer, one of the local dealers around the country and they come to me and say, you know, should I spend this money on a billboard or you know, this guy called me, he wants me to do radio advertising or this guy wants me to sponsor a park bench or you know, whatever it is. My answer inevitably every single time is no take that money, that exact same money and put it into Facebook or Google ads and I’m one of the other, don’t mess around with the things that worked 30 years ago and do what’s going to be the best bang for your buck right now, which is Facebook, Google and it’s those two.

Paula: No, if you are new, just definitely go to your site until I see the pool fence because you are doing an amazing job. Definitely know what you’re doing. And I always say, lets don’t replicate let’s share, you guys have the knowledge and I’ll let him and definitely they could see where I am learning  a lot from you guys.

Eric: Oh, thank you. Well thank you so much. I really appreciate it. You’re doing awesome.

Paula: That’s Gloria Patsy’s La. Yes.

Eric: Well we know by then. Is it that soon?

Paula: I think so but you never know, you know, because I am hopefully Brittany when she comes to do the podcast she will have an update but we were talking and she was thinking that. Yeah, that maybe we will know and be able to celebrate and in DPA.

Eric: Wow. That’s really cool

Paula:  The 15 and the 19 in April, We’ll see it will be awesome if that we can celebrate.

Eric: Yes. It will also be my birthday that week also as the NDPA. So I’ll be celebrating my birthday in New Orleans. Yeah.

Paula: Which day?

Eric: The 19th of April.

Paula; Okay. So you’ll be celebrating?

Eric: I’ll be driving back, I never stay, but it would be good, but, Friday’s the 19th, so I’ll be coming back.

Paula: Okay. Yes. I leave Thursday night. Okay. The day before, the 18th

Eric: Alright, Paula. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you and everybody should go  check out the stuff she’s doing with the safe and healthy children’s, the NCA savings influence how the coalition  NDPA.org. Yeah, they’re a great organization. If you’re in water safety, definitely attend the conference in New Orleans. And again, the, the link she’s going to post in the comments for the law. You know, check it out and make sure you contact your local legislator. It’s important. So thanks guys. Have a good one. Bye.