About: Mario Vittone 
Mario Vittone has nineteen years of combined military service in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. His writing on maritime safety has appeared in Yachting, Salt Water Sportsman, On Scene, Lifelines, and at the Naval Safety Center’s Online Resource Site. He has also written for Reader’s Digest magazine. He has lectured extensively on topics ranging from leadership and innovation to sea survival and immersion hypothermia.
Mario worked as an Aviation Survival Technician and helicopter rescue swimmer for the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans, LA and Elizabeth City, NC, flying on hundreds of search and rescue cases. He is currently working as a Marine Safety Specialist with Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads in Norfolk, VA.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.
Web Site: http://mariovittone.com/
Email:
mario.vittone@gmail.com
Mario Vittone's Articles:
Making Pools Safer
What could possibly go wrong? That is a question which doesn’t get asked often enough.
Fencing your pool is a very important safety measure you should take.
In June of 2002, it was discovered that the suction drain of a hot tub was strong enough to hold a child underwater. Seven-year-old Virginia Graeme Baker lost her life because a spa manufacturer did not ask the question: what could go wrong? The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was signed into law in December of 2007.
If it feels like five years was too long to wait for a regulation that makes spas and pools less able to hold children underwater – I agree. The Act calls for safety interlocks and anti-entrapment screens ─ all the things you think would be common sense, but apparently weren’t. Implementation of the law is still being worked out.
But here is the thing – the pool in the backyard is yours. You can assume that designers and manufacturers (and government regulators) thought of everything, or you can start asking your own questions. «Read the rest of this article»
