Pool Drain Rescue Shows Danger Remains, Despite New Regulations

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

Live television pictures from a Key Biscayne, Florida condo this morning showed a child sucked into a pool drain while rescue workers fought with jackhammers and respirator equipment to save the girl's life – a frightening reminder about the continued problem of pool drain safety around the country.

"My heart really sank," said Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz when she saw video broadcast this morning of rescue workers trying to free a three-year-old girl when her arm got trapped in a skimmer drain. "The number two killer of children under 14 in this country to accidental death is drowning in swimming pools."

The girl is in stable condition after she was airlifted to a local hospital.

An ABC News investigation last summer highlighted the risks of small, flat drain covers at public pools. Producers and interns from the ABC Investigative Unit and from affiliates in San Francisco, San Diego and Orlando showed improper drain covers and dangerous drains from hotels, apartments and municipal pools all over the country.

-----

"There are hundreds of accidents every year where children drown in pools and states that are resisting enforcing the Virginia Graeme Baker Act are essentially putting the public at risk," Wasserman-Shultz said. "To turn the other cheek and ignore a federal law that's been on the books to require these pools to be compliant for over a year is unconscionable."


Live television pictures from a Key Biscayne, Florida condo this morning showed a child sucked into a pool drain while rescue workers fought with jackhammers and respirator equipment to save the girl's life - a frightening reminder about the continued problem of pool drain safety around the country.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=8401632

---

BTW Virginia Graeme Baker was the granddaughter of James Baker:

In a move that Safe Kids USA believes will save the lives of thousands of children, President Bush today signed The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act of 2007. The legislation provides incentives for states to adopt comprehensive pool safety laws that will protect children from life-threatening injuries and horrible deaths from dangerous pool & spa drains.

The law is named for the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, who joined Graeme's mother, Nancy Baker, and Safe Kids USA in a three-year advocacy campaign for the legislation. In 2002 at the age of 7, Graeme Baker died in a spa after the powerful suction of a drain entrapped her under water.

“While the loss of our beloved Graeme will be with us always, our hearts have been lifted by the passage of this common-sense piece of legislation that will save lives,” James Baker said. “We are grateful to President Bush and the members of Congress who are making sure other children are protected from the kind of accident that took Graeme from us.”

Nancy Baker agreed. "This legislation helps give meaning to the tragic circumstances that took her life and the lives of many other children,” Baker said. “It is a tribute to these children and their grieving families that this bill will prevent injuries and death as a result of drowning. Graeme would be honored that it is in her name."

http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=25391&folder_id=301

[Loge23]

1. This had nothing to do with drain covers.

Just a little clarification about this near-tragedy:
The child was caught in a side skimmer, not a main drain. These open, rectangular, devices are commonly found at the water level height on the side wall of a pool. They are designed to suction any floating debris from the surface of the water.
The protective devices that are now common in commercial pools in FL (this was a commercial pool, although I do not yet know if there was a anti-entrapment device installed, which is the law) are designed to immediately shut off the pump when the system detects an interruption of suction. These are in addition to the "dome shaped" main drain covers that are mentioned, irrelevantly, in the linked article. Neither device, arguably, would have prevented this incident.
In this case, the child would have had to actually place her arm inside the skimmer. This is not easy to do, the device - on it's own - would not draw the child into it without being someone placing their arm in it. Unfortunately, the child was small enough to accomplish this while hanging on to the edge of the pool.
Even if the anti-entrapment was present - and did engage - the child's arm was apparently already caught inside the pipe - suction or no suction at that point. To remove her, they actually cut the pipe and left a piece still on the child's arm for removal at the hospital. Surely, the pump was off by that point.
A local fireman said on the news that the child was being supervised. However, little children should not be sticking their arms inside skimmers. They may not know that, but their guardians should.
I'm not quite sure what measures will come out now to limit access to the skimmer. However, an accident is an accident - however preventable.
I grew up in Rockaway Beach NY which has been in the news lately for the rash in drownings due to the strong currents.
I had a quite a few "laundry machine" moments in that surf. You can't ban the beach or install enough protective devices to save everyone. Some things can be dangerous and small children have to be monitored and taught safety before swimming on their own. Even then, accidents will happen.

[izquierdista]

2. Republican compassion

Requires the life of a grandchild. Were it someone else's grandchild, I'm sure he would be defending the pool and spa industry's lobby.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. I couldn't help but feel the same way when I saw that Baker was lobbying for "nanny state" laws.

[Turbineguy]

3. They could install a static leg on the pump suction.

When the drain plugged, the static leg would empty, the pump would lose suction and release the child from the drain cover.