Community invited to Southwest Florida Water Safety Symposium
The Bay Oaks Recreation Center community pool will be the site of a symposium Nov. 7 to educate residents about water safety with demonstrations from the Fort Myers Beach Fire Department that will include hands-on CPR training and a demonstration on how to save a drowning victim.
Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce Event Coordinator Janeen Paulauskis is hoping for a strong turnout from the public to the event. “It’s such an important part of our community,” she said.
The chamber is working closely with the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida in conjunction with Safe Kids Southwest Florida on the educational program.
“We will start off talking about the dangers of water injuries and how we can prevent them,” Paulauskis said.
There will be a mock drowning situation at the community pool which will teach attendees on what to look for and how to react. A rescue helicopter will be part of the demonstration, which will involve the fire department. The fire department will act out “what would happen in an extreme emergency,” Paulauskis said.
There will also be an educational program on how to deal with the overturning of a kayak and how to prevent such a situation from occurring.
There will be several speakers talking about pool safety and boating safety, the importance of having lifeguards at pool parties and lifejackets. Representatives from the Florida Department of Health, the American Red Cross and the U.S. Coast Guard will be in attendance. One of the presentations will detail a personal experience dealing with a water emergency, Paulaskis said.
Registration for the event will begin at 8 a.m. The symposium will kick off at 9 p.m. After breaking for lunch, the CPR training will start at 12:30 p.m. and attendees will be required to sign up. The CPR training session is a half-hour class on the basics and is not for certification.