Title
2018 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Pool Safely Grant (Ordinance S-44389)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for and, if awarded, accept and enter into agreements for a 2018 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Pool Safely Grant of up to $250,000 to provide water safety programming in the Maryvale community. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and for the City Controller to disburse, any grant monies awarded.
Report
Summary
Staff is seeking City Council authorization to submit an application for a 2018 CPSC Pool Safely Grant of up to $250,000 to create and implement programming to address and reduce toddler (children one to four years of age) drowning fatalities in the Maryvale community.
Arizona has the second-highest fatality rate in the U.S. for children one to four years of age, with a fatality rate of 4.45 deaths per 100,000. The majority of these deaths occur between late April and Labor Day, with the vast majority of these deaths occuring in backyard pools and spas. Research suggests that drownings involving children in this age group are preventable, for the most part, often resulting from a lack of supervision or absent or inappropriate barriers.
For this grant, City staff would collaborate with community stakeholders, including Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH), Hubbard Family Swim Schools and the Institute for Digital Progress, to leverage their respective strengths, resources and social capital. Funding from the grant would be used to bolster resources and outreach activities related to standards applying to private pools and spas. The educational component of the proposal would be led by ASU and the other community partners, in collaboration with the City, on creating bilingual, evidence-based materials that are tailored to the local community. This could include materials for healthcare providers, schools and the local community more generally, and through public service announcements.
If approved, City staff would work with the identified community partners to draft the grant application and, if successful, develop and implement the programming. The City would take the lead on submitting the application to the CPSC, which requires applicants to be a state, local government or U.S. territory.
For 2018, the CPSC expects to award a total of $1.1 million in two-year grants to assist jurisdictions in reducing deaths and injuries from drowning and drain entrapment incidents in pools and spas. The grant is a part of CPSC’s national effort to make drowning and drain entrapment prevention a critical public safety priority and seeks to provide jurisdictions with assistance for education, training and enforcement of pool safety requirements. Grant applications are due April 2, 2018.
Financial Impact
The amount of this grant application is up to $250,000.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Parks, Arts, Education and Equality Subcommittee recommended approval at its March 14, 2018 meeting by a vote of 4-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Deanna Jonovich and the Parks and Recreation Department.