Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup Recall Certain Above-Ground Pools 48-Inches and Taller Due to Drowning Hazard; Nine Deaths Reported; Five Million Pools Sold Since 2002

Good morning Pool Safely collaborators,

We hope you are enjoying a wonderful and safe summer. CPSC wanted to share that we, alongside Health Canada and three manufacturers, announced yesterday the recall of approximately 5 million above-ground pools due to the increased risk of childhood drowning associated with these products.

Sold nationwide at several major retailers since 2002, the pools use compression straps that wrap around the outside, creating a foothold for children to use for access. Kids can still climb inside the pools using these footholds even if the ladder is removed. From 2007 to 2022, nine children between 22 months and 3 years old died after using the footholds and falling into the pool.

As a Pool Safely collaborator, you can help share this news with your audiences via social media to help encourage consumer action and prevent additional drownings. Feel free to share and/or engage with @USCPSC’s posts about the recall and look for upcoming posts on @poolsafely platforms.

Also, several top-tier media outlets covered this story today. Check out and share the coverage from USA Today, CBS News, NBC News, and Associated Press, among others.

For additional information about the recall, please see the full press release linked above, and for further details on water safety tips for families, visit poolsafely.gov.

Thank you for all you do to prevent child drownings,

Jon

Comments

A TikTok celeb's son drowned; it wasn't 'unimaginable'

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 A TikTok celeb's son drowned; it wasn't 'unimaginable' We interrupt our national fistfight over, well, everything to report that a little boy named Trigg has died. The May 18 passing of 3-year-old Trigg Kiser made national news because his mother, Emilie, is what's known as an influencer on Tik Tok. His death, we are told, is "unimaginable." But it's really not. We in Arizona aren't shocked. At least, we shouldn't be. We can't afford to be. Drowning is the leading cause of death nationally in children who are 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 years old. Even more so in Arizona, where pools are plentiful and disaster mere seconds away. Mere seconds, especially now, as summer approaches. Thirty-one children drowned in Arizona in 2023, according to the latest report from the state Child Fatality Review Program. Most were under 5 years old. Every one of those deaths was preventable. Every one, a damn tragedy. It shouldn't need saying...

Devoted Messenger: Michele Long of the City of Mesa Fire and Medical Dept. Honored for Outreach

Home > Awards > Devoted Messenger: Michele Long of the City of Mesa Fire and Medical Dept. Honored for Outreach AWARDS February 06, 2019 0 2019 Power Issue Devoted Messenger: Michele Long of the City of Mesa Fire and Medical Dept. Honored for Outreach The outreach administrator works on a local, state and national level to spread the water-safety message. By Rebecca Robledo When Michele Long decides to tackle a problem, she comes at it from all angles. That’s why, for the past 12 years, she has participated in drowning-prevention efforts at the local, state and national level. Long serves as the community outreach administrator with the Mesa (Ariz.) Fire and Medical Department. In her 19½ years in various positions with the department, she has provided peer support to the city’s first responders and educated the community about safety and health issues. So she had to sp...

FREE Water Safety Event at Tapatio Cliffs Presented by SRP Safety Connection

CONTACT: Jay Arthur, DPCA President, Mobile (602) 518-6008 ** Live water rescue demo and interviews with advocates available as early as 7:30 am.** No Fatal Child Drownings So Far in 2025! FREE Water Safety Event at Tapatio Cliffs Presented by SRP Safety Connection According to Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona reports, the Valley has not experienced a fatal child drowning in the first 4 months in 2025. This hasn’t happened since 2008 – 17 years! The public is invited to celebrate and continue this wave of success at the “Tapping into Water Safety” event at the Tapatio Cliffs this Saturday morning, May 10. The DPCA and SRP Safety Connection with more than 20 water safety advocates, including fire departments, city aquatics, hospitals, sheriff’s department, YMCA and swim schools, will gather to train, equip & educate the community about drowning prevention. Expected Features: Free Life Jacket giveaways Local ma...

Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona

Search This Blog