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Safe swimming is the aim of a new online course

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@tampatrib.com

Published: June 24, 2009

Swimming pool safety is the focus of a new online course from the American Red Cross.

The Home Pool Essentials Maintenance and Safety course includes lessons about operating a home pool, identifying proper safety equipment, responding to pool emergencies, and suggestions about establishing safety procedures and rules about unsupervised access.

A recent Red Cross survey showed that 10 percent of the more than 1,000 adults surveyed experienced a near drowning at a private pool. The risk is especially high for children.

In the United States each year, about 500 children 4 and younger drown. In 2007, the Florida Department of Health Vital Statistics reported that 77 children in Florida drowned, 14 in the Tampa Bay area.

The National Swimming Pool Foundation has partnered with the Red Cross for the two-hour course, which can be taken at a participant's pace. It is available for $19.95 at www.homepoolessentials.org.

Mary Shedden

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