The City of North Richland Hills has been awarded a $319,000 grant from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to continue its focus on drowning prevention.
NRH is one of eight local and state governments to receive funds from the $2 million Pool Safely Grant Program. The City’s $319,485 allocation will be used to provide drowning prevention education and materials to the community, to distribute safety alarms to residential pool owners who need them, and to provide continuing education and training to swimming pool regulators across our region.
The city has worked to raise awareness about drowning prevention since 2016, when the “NRH Water Safety 365” initiative was created. NRH is also a partner in the regional drowning prevention coalition led by Safe Kids North Texas. More information on these programs can be found at nrhws365.com and lifeguardyourchild.com.
“We began NRH Water Safety 365 in memory of Connor Gage and Paxton Wages, two children from our community who fatally drowned,” explains Stefanie Martinez, Director of Neighborhood Services for the City of North Richland Hills. “This effort pulled together six City departments and numerous community partners with the goal of not one more drowning in our community. We are grateful to receive the Pool Safely grant, which will help us continue our efforts to save lives not only in our city, but across the region.”
Drowning is the second leading cause of death nationwide for kids 14 and younger. Texas consistently leads the U.S. in numbers of fatal child drownings, and Tarrant County routinely shows the largest or second largest number of fatal child drownings annually.
The Pool Safely Grant Program is aimed at preventing pool and spa drownings, as well as drain entrapments. The program provides local and state governments with assistance for education, training and enforcement of pool safety requirements that are intended to save lives and prevent serious injuries. More information about the Pool Safely grant can be found at poolsafely.gov.