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In 1989, representatives from:
Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS),
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), fire departments and
hospital personnel met and formed what is now known as the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona (DPCA).
The spirit of the group is to provide a forum for drowning prevention advocates to exchange information and to work together
to prevent these tragedies.
1990 Applied for and received 501(C) 3 status.
1991 Worked with the State of Arizona to mandate state wide,
four-sided barriers for swimming pools. Since then, each city within Maricopa County has adopted its own barrier code,
with the exception of Gilbert and Tempe. We have played a vital role in speaking before city councils and presenting
information and personal testimony.
1992 Took over
responsibility for directing and managing April Pools Day on an ongoing basis. April Pool Day events are now conducted
and managed by virtually every city in Maricopa County.
1994 Joined forces with local Girl Scout representatives to expand the scope of April Pools Day by including troops throughout Maricopa County. Together with the Girl Scouts, safety literature was distributed door to door as a part of April Pools Day efforts.
1999 Welcomed Water Watchers, an advocacy group. This enabled us to participate in Water Safety Day, which teaches water safety to thousands of school aged children each year. Leveraging the support of that union, we
utilized that event as a kick-off for our April Pools Day events, which increases awareness of the issue throughout the
Valley.
2002 Employed Gauger-Santy to join us in developing a
consistent, united drowning prevention campaign. The partnership allowed us to obtain expert advice in the fields
of public relations, media, and marketing.
2004 Assisted in the establishment of the first national
group dedicated to childhood drowning events. This group is the National Drowning
Prevention Alliance (NDPA).
2004 + Provided technical assistance to community based
organizations such as
Safe Kids Worldwide,
the National Fire Academy, the Arizona Fire and Burn Educators
Association.
2007 Sponsored
NDPA’s 2-day Symposium. The NDPA Symposium showcases the best-of-the-best
in drowning prevention programs, strategies, and products so that individuals and organizations from across the nation can
work together to maximize their efforts in drowning prevention.
2008 Launched a redesigned website,
www.preventdrownings.org, that features safety tips, barrier information and a
calendar of events that highlights drowning and other injury prevention events across the state. The website allowed us to
provide a comprehensive resource to media, drowning prevention advocates and Coalition friends and members. Increased
promotion of the coalition's mission led to a membership drive, revitalizing the spirit of existing members and bringing
new organizations and individuals into the coalition. Mini-grant program was launched, with financial support being
provided to worthy efforts to educate and increase awareness of drowning prevention.
2009 Recognized the opportunity and need to become a statewide
coalition and bring together water safety efforts from across Arizona. We officially dropped "Central" from the name to
become the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona. Mini-grant program continued, and an advisory council was begun, to
increase the knowledge and resouces of the coalition.
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