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Florida Department of Health promotes pool safety, swim-lesson coupons for young children
Summary
Morgan, director of the drowning prevention program at the Florida Department of Health, urged pool safety measures including pool fences, water watchers, door alarms and early swim lessons; the program promotes swim-lesson coupons at watersmartbroward.org for children up to age 8 and parent coupons.
Morgan, director of the drowning prevention program at the Florida Department of Health, told meeting participants that home and pool safety measures and early swim lessons reduce drowning risk and explained where residents can apply for subsidized lessons.
"It's important to keep our homes to be water smart, and to, add, barriers to be able to prevent kids from drowning," Morgan said, advocating pool fences as a basic safety measure. Morgan said having a designated "water watcher" '1 an adult who stays out of the pool and pays full attention to swimmers '1 is crucial during swim time, and recommended door alarms on pools to alert adults when doors open.
Morgan emphasized swim lessons for young children and described a county resource: "If you go to watersmartbroward.org, you can apply for a swim lesson coupon. Swim lesson coupons are up to [age] 8 years old, and you can start applying for them as early as 6 months," Morgan said. He added that a parent coupon can be paired with a child's coupon to allow parents to take lessons alongside children.
On household risks beyond the pool, Morgan listed mop buckets and open toilets as hazards, and said toys left in the water can entice children to re-enter a pool after swimming. On how drowning may appear, Morgan warned that "drowning can be very quiet, and it can happen in a matter of seconds." He encouraged families to review resources on watersmartbroward.org and to enroll in lessons at participating locations across Broward County.
Mayor Dean introduced Morgan and framed the discussion as part of local outreach on pool safety; no new city ordinance or regulation was cited in the transcript.
