A Healthy Success:
Attendees say “Inspirational, Must Attend”
The first World Aquatic Health™ Conference, organized by the National Swimming Pool Foundation®, was a tremendous success with 29 speakers and 270 attendees from 41 states and 5 countries coming together October 3-5, 2004, at the Atlanta Sheraton Buckhead Hotel.
Surveyed attendees are responsible for more than 67,500 pools and spas on a day-to-day basis. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of attendees are high-level decision makers, including presidents, owners and directors. Public health and government officials represent twenty-three percent (23%) of the attendees.
Presentations covered a broad spectrum of subjects. The goal was to expand aquatic programs to meet community needs, to understand and prevent injuries and to explore the health benefits of aquatic activities. “To elevate the aquatic facility’s role in society, aquatic facilities must elevate the citizen’s needs,” said Thomas M. Lachocki, Ph.D., chief executive officer of NSPF®. Speakers communicated how disease outbreaks, drowning, diving injuries, toxic chemical exposure and suction entrapments occur, and then provided preventative measures. Lachocki added, “When people get in, we want them to get out – with a pleasant experience.”
In addition to the conference symposia, the foundation introduced several new educational products to help protect the public.
The long-awaited NSPF® Pool & Spa Operator™ Handbook, 2005 Edition and the accompanying state-of-the-art PowerPoint presentation was previewed by the author, Ron Ford of Tropical Aquatics Marketing, Inc. The NSPF® Pool & Spa Operator™ handbook will be used to train more than 17,000 people in 2005. It is the first operator handbook that uses color throughout to better help students learn and teachers teach.
Dr. Alex Antoniou, the new NSPF® Director of Educational Programs previewed the Certified Pool Inspector™ course for Health Inspectors, in CD format, available January 31, 2005. This CD will increase and improve consistency in pool inspections and train health officials and operators. The CD includes more than 20 minutes of video to aid students in their learning. The course includes chemical storage, diving depth markers, electrical wiring and devices, gates and enclosures, drain covers, water clarity, sanitizer/pH/residual and recirculation systems. The CD development was guided by health officials from Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey and New York. Antoniou says, “Conference attendees believe in the aim of this new educational tool. They believe it will help us hit the target to better protect the public against injury and disease.”
Despite the relatively high safety of pools and spas, injuries are often catastrophic. The NSPF® Aquatic Safety Compendium™ was highlighted with presentations by four Compendium distinguished authors: Dr. Glen Egstrom, Dr. William N. Rowley, Dr. Bud Perrine and Dr. Leon Kazarian. These speakers presented factual information to help understand risks based on an objective review of facts related to diving injuries, suction entrapment, alcohol’s influence on injuries and spinal injuries.
Conference feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Adolph Kiefer, Kiefer & Associates says, “I was really pleased with the entire NSPF® gathering. I thought it was inspirational. It makes me want to think more about the different subjects I listened to, and some that I did not have time to hear. I can’t think of any weaknesses. The conference was well organized, well presented, the personnel was very good, as was the selection of lectures.”
Melissa Johnson, Executive Director, President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and first-day keynote speaker, commended NSPF® for its “dedication and commitment to promote and encourage physical activity and better health through aquatics.” She commented, “You [NSPF®] are all doing an outstanding job.”
Michael Beach, Ph.D, Team Leader, Water and Environment Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases, and conference presenter, affirms, “The first annual Aquatic Health™ Conference lived up to my expectations by creating a unique opportunity for public health and aquatics professionals to come together and discuss important cross-cutting issues. NSPF® really deserves credit for putting together what will surely become a ‘must-attend’ meeting for all of us working to improve the health and safety of recreational water users.”
Doug Sackett, New York State Department of Health agrees, saying “Great seminars! The diversity of attendees and opportunity to network within the aquatic health arena was just excellent. The NSPF® has done a good thing, taking a leadership role as the lead agency to bring together different groups with like interests, and then focusing on different topics.”
Adds John Schwartz, Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA), “The quality of speakers, the data presented and the people there asking serious questions, made it a great conference. It was really refreshing. I got lots of ideas.”
Howard Gosling, Past President, SPATA, of the United Kingdom writes, “The NSPF®- sponsored Aquatic Health™ Conference had a packed programme which was worth flying thousands of miles to hear presented live and to have the opportunity to discuss with the presenters, who at the end of the day just want clear, healthy water for bathers.”
Thomas M. Lachocki, Ph.D., chief executive officer of NSPF®, sums up the conference by saying that “People who are charged with creating the future of the industry who missed this conference, missed the opportunity of a lifetime. The Aquatic Health™ Conference spotlighted issues and helped illuminate solutions that will create the future.”
