6/20/06 Message from Dr. Shamlin

From : Gwynn Shamlin
Sent : Tuesday, June 20, 2006 9:30 PM
To : DGOUX@brgov.com
CC : kholden@brgov.com, pamela_labbe@hotmail.com, mskyring@brgov.com, PNEWKIRK@brgov.com, songy@csrsonline.com
Subject : RE: FW: Repeat of Summertime Hazards

Inbox Ms. Goux, Thanks for keeping us informed on Staring Lane about "Summertime Hazards." Our Staring Lane Community Association continue to look forward to a favorable decision on the proposal to widen Staring Lane. Our members and surrounding neighborhoods will accept nothing more than three (3) lanes as granted other communities. Would appreciate you sharing this with all you come in contact with who might be involved in that decision. Thanks.

Yours,
Dr. Gwynn Shamlin,
President-Staring Lane Community Assoc.


From: "Deanna Goux (District 12)" <DGOUX@brgov.com> Subject: FW: Repeat of Summertime Hazards Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 14:03:50 -0500 FYI - from Eldon Ledoux, Public Information Officer, St George Fire Protection District Deanna Goux Legislative Assistant to Councilman Skyring Phone: 389-4697 Fax: 389-8895 -----Original Message----- From: Eldon Ledoux [mailto:erledoux@StGeorgefire.com] Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 1:38 PM To: Eldon Ledoux Subject: Repeat of Summertime Hazards St. George Fire Protection District 13686 Perkins Road Baton Rouge, LA 70810 (225) 389-8600 We sent the following safety message to our St George Neighborhood Safety Network on June 3rd. On June 14th, a five year old Baton Rouge boy drowned in an above ground, backyard pool. Tragedies CAN and DO happen. If you have not had the opportunity to share this with your e-mail network, please take this second chance to do so. Our firefighters do not want to answer a 911 call summoning them to the scene of the preventable death of a child! St. George Fire Protection District 13686 Perkins Road Baton Rouge, LA 70810 (225) 389-8600 PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORK. GET YOUR SUMMER OFF TO A SAFE START. - Eldon Ledoux, StGFPD Young Children Face Drowning Risks The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning about the increase in drowning deaths reported in inexpensive, inflatable pools. Parents and caregivers are advised to take steps that will help protect children from drowning hazards in all types of pools. CPSC reports there are about 280 drowning deaths of children younger than 5 each year in swimming pools. In 2005, an estimated 2,100 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pool submersion injuries - mostly in residential pools. CPSC has reports of 17 drowning deaths involving inflatable pools in 2005, up from 9 in 2004 and 10 in 2003. Small inflatable pools, about 2-feet deep, can cost as little as $50, and larger pools, up to 4-feet deep and 18-feet wide, can cost under $200. These pools often fall outside of local building codes that require barriers, and may often be purchased without considering the barriers necessary to help protect young children from the dangers they present. "Parents need to understand any pool poses a drowning risk," CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton said. "Consider the danger of water before investing in an inflatable pool." A child need not be fully submerged to drown. Drowning has occurred in mere inches of water. To reduce the risk of drowning, CPSC recommends layers of protection, including barriers, such as a fence with self-closing, self-latching gates completely surrounding pools to prevent unsupervised access by young children. Multiple barriers to access and constant supervision are essential to protecting children. It is important to always be prepared for an emergency by having rescue equipment and a phone near the pool. Also, all parents should learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Many drowning deaths occur when young children are not expected to be near the pool area. In a CPSC study, almost 70 percent of the victims were last seen in the house or nearby on a porch or in the yard before the incident. Drowning can occur in the few minutes it takes to answer the phone. About 77 percent of the victims had been missing for 5 minutes or less when they were found. Precious time is often wasted looking for missing children anywhere but in the pool. Since every second counts, always look for a missing child in the pool first. Parents may think that if their child falls in the water, they will hear lots of splashing and screaming, and that they will be able to come to the rescue. Many times, however, children slip under the water silently. Even people near the pool report hearing nothing out of the ordinary. For more information about drowning prevention, read CPSC's Swimming Pool Safety Alert, Safety Barrier Guidelines for Pools and How to Plan for the Unexpected. Copies of all these free publications can be obtained by going to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov , or by calling CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772. Eldon Ledoux, Public Information Officer St George Fire Protection District