This document provides an agenda for the 2013 NDPA Annual Symposium held from March 13-15 at the Doubletree Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The agenda includes general sessions on topics like drowning prevention, shallow water blackout, supervision barriers and entrapment, marketing strategies, and open water safety. Breakout sessions cover additional topics like public school drowning prevention programs, task force development, beach rescues, stand-up paddleboard safety, and ice/water rescue incidents. Social events include a welcome reception, dessert reception, and closing reception at the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Optional post-conference workshops include a community outreach water safety festival and rescue technique workshops.

1. NDPA Annual Symposium 2013
Doubletree Bahia Mar, Fort Lauderdale
March 13-15, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013(Pre-Conference)
1:00pm - 7:00pm Symposium Registration
12:00pm – 7:00pm Exhibitor Setup
3:00pm – 5:00pm NDPA Board Meeting
5:00pm – 6:30pm Welcome Reception - Mix & Mingle
Sponsored by D & D Technologies
6:45pm – 9:00pm JADES Dessert Reception
(Advance RSVP Required - $10.00 per person)
International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF)
Thursday, March 14, 2013 (DAY 1)
7:00am – 5:00pm Symposium Hospitalitytable
7:30am – 8:30am Coffee with Sponsors/Exhibitors
8:30am – 8:45am Welcome Acknowledgements
GENERAL SESSIONS
8:45am – 9:15am Opening Address
US Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
9:15am – 10:00am It Will Take All of Us
Mario Vittone, Owner
Mario Vittone & Associates, LLC
Drowning in America (and other developed nations) is an incredibly complex problem. Solutions
range from mechanical to educational to cultural and still don't cover the range of hazards that lead to
a person drowning. It's going to take more than any one program or initiative; it's going to take more
than a legislative change in any state; it's going to be very, very hard - and we're going to have to do it
together. It is going to take an alliance. We're going to have to do this together. Join Mario to discuss
how the NDPA can help.
10:00am – 10:10am Break
10:10am – 10:55am General Session–Shallow Water Blackout
Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, Acting Dean
Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management
University of Manitoba
Dr. Peter Lindholm, Sweden
11:00am – 11:45 CPSC

2. 11:45pm – 12:30pm Visit with Exhibitors
12:30pm - 2:00pm NDPA Lunch – MOM (Mom on a Mission)
AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS
1:30pm – 3:00pm Workshop 1A – Public Schools “Drowning Prevention”
Adam Katchmarchi, Graduate Student
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Bob Ogoreuc, Assistant Professor/Aquatics Director
Slippery Rock University
This session will discuss ways of adding drowning prevention and water safety education into a public school
setting. This will showcase different drowning prevention programs and how they can be used to create an
effective water safety lesson. Public schools can prove to be an excellent outlet for reaching children who do
not have the opportunity to learn water safety or how to swim on their own. Schools can also be a great way to
reach out to parents and educate them as well. This presentation will highlight that water is not always
necessary to teach basic water safety.
1:30pm – 3:00pm Workshop 1B – Drowning Prevention Task Forces Development &
Best Practices
Kim Burgess, Executive Director
NDPA and NDPA Chapter Leaders
This session will be reviewing how to create and implement a drowning prevention task force. This
will also focus on best practices and what is being successful for swim schools throughout the
country.
1:30pm – 3:00pm Round Tables / 2 rotations – developing committees/projects ???
3:00pm – 3:30pm Travel to offsite Beach demo:
3:30pm – 5:00pm Beach Demo - K 38 Beach Rescue demonstration
(need backup plan)
5:00pm Evening on Own – Have Fun!!!
OPTIONAL EVENING SESSIONS
7:00pm ?? SKWIMM
Kevin McCarthy, President
SKWIMUSA
SKWIM® is new - the premise – tried and true. Give people what brings them life - package it with what can
save a life. Welcome to the complete program called SKWIM! Not just the fastest team water-sport! Much
more than an innovative water-safety program! SKWIM is the best of both! Learn the business secrets of the
world’s most profitable sports empires and how to bring this to aquatics now! What safety secret do Navy Seals,
Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers and North Shore Beach Lifeguards have in common? How to quickly increase
safety at your pool by 25-50%!
Friday, March 15, 2013 (Day 2)

3. 7:30am – 5:00pm Symposium HospitalityTable
7:45am – 8:30am Coffee with Sponsors/Exhibitors
8:30am – 8:45am Opening Remarks
GENERAL SESSIONS
8:45am – 9:45am Dissecting the Medical Issues in Pediatric Drowning
Dr. Peter Antevy
Joe DimaggioChildrens Hospital
During this multimedia presentation, Dr. Antevy will dissect the pediatric drowning from the moment
the 911 call is made, to on-scene care, transport to the emergency department, and transition to the
intensive care unit. Listen to actual 911 calls, view videos of children submerged as they swim close
to a family member, and watch Dr. Antevy demonstrate the current state of on-scene care of the
pediatric drowning victim. He will then highlight the variation in care provided at community
emergency departments and discuss the common issues with advanced care in the pediatric intensive
care unit. Come and learn about the critical issues that still require attention by the medical
community and energized citizens wanting to affect change locally.
9:45am –10:30am CHILD DROWNING: Supervision, Barriers & Entrapment
Mike Haggard, President
The Haggard Law Firm
Failure to supervise children, inadequate use of proper barriers and fences, and suction entrapment injuries and
death, are all too common in today's swimming environment. However, the liability concerns of pool operators
and professionals are too often placed above the simple theme of "doing the right thing." This discussion is
highly interactive with demonstrative aides and helps participants come to a resolution of this intricate balance.
10:30am – 10:45am Break
10:45am – 11:30pm General Session- Need Title of Presentation& Description
Bruce Wigo, President
International Swimming Hall of Fame
11:30am – 12:45pm Awards Luncheon
12:45pm – 1:00pm Travel to ISHOF Pool from Brownies 3rd
Lung Demo
1:00pm – 2:00pm Brownies 3rd
Lung Demo(need backup plan)
Rapid Response Entry demonstration (SCUBA)
2:00pm – 2:15pm Walk back to hotel from Brownies 3rd
Lung Demo
AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS
1:00pm – 5:00pm Water SMART Babies Workshop (2 hour classroom/2 hour water)
Hall of Fame pool** (open to anyone registered for symposium) –

4. Marketing Track – all in same room
2:20pm – 3:05pm Make a Splash “Marketing a Drowning Prevention Initiative”
Kim O’Shea, Make a Splash Program Manager
USA Swimming Foundation
Harriett Navarree, Make a Splash Program Coordinator
USA Swimming Foundation
Community collaborations make everyone a winner! By helping the NDPA Chapters and the 540+ Make a
Splash Local Partners connect, we can increase water safety awareness, support engaging events for our
partners in their local communities, and get more kids into swim lessons.
3:10pm – 3:55pm Create Drowning Awareness Through Social Media
Matthew Giovanisci, CEO
Swim University
The session is aimed to teach people how to create awareness though multiple social media platforms, including
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and other networks. It's one thing to talk about drowning prevention
online, it's another to do it effectively and make it a viral campaign.
4:00pm – 4:45pm Real Life Marketing Strategies to Succeed
Michele Long, Fire & Life Safety Education Specialist
Mesa Fire & Medical Dept (AZ)
Tired of getting great ideas at trainings but not sure how to implement them in your organization? This class is a
hand-on Marketing 101 for developing an educational marketing plan that you can apply directly to your
organization. Participants will learn how a one person office consistently reaches over 100,000 community
contacts each year. No budget? Learn where to find sponsorship and volunteers to help take your ideas to the
next level. Participants will be given the opportunity to develop a marketing plan for their organization as they
work through the class.
4:50pm –5:30pm Guerrilla marketing for water safety awareness
Blake Collingsworth, Director/Founder
Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation
A Guerrilla Marketing approach to drowning awareness and prevention!According to Wikipedia: “Guerrilla
marketing is an advertising strategy in which low-cost unconventional means are utilized, often in a localized
fashion or large network of individual cells, to convey or promote a product or an IDEA.” The Josh the Otter
program could be viewed as a covert operation. Educating children in order for its message of water safety and
awareness to reach children and then onto the adults. Our goal is to put a cute, kind, and gentle face on water
safety. Then change how adults perceive all bodies of water.
Management Track – all in same room
2:20pm – 3:05pm Universal Emergency Hand Signals
Mary Wykle, Owner
MW Associates
Modern pool screening has opened a new type of safety communication. Activation of Emergency Action Plans
(EAP) occur in a various ways, depending on the facility and facility lifeguard staffing. 14 hands signals have
been identified as a universal sign language to identify emergencies and are easily understood by anyone. The
desire is to have these adopted as part of safety training in every private and public pool in the world. Many
pools supplement lifeguards with video monitoring. Appropriate help can be summoned quickly and efficiently.
This is the new Sign Language of Safety.
3:10pm – 3:55pm Beyond Lifeguards: Layers of Protection
Gareth Hedges, Associate General Counsel
The Redwoods Group

5. In the summer of 2012, two young boys drowned in pools managed by our insured partners. Both facilities had
strong lifeguard programs, yet the children still died, and exactly where our data predicts - in less than 5 feet of
water. This session will describe how facilities can add layers of protection in addition to lifeguards to prevent
children from drowning by using an aquatic safety action plan that includes a facility risk assessment and a
"Test, Mark, and Protect" policy. Additionally it will describe how this policy changes how we train and
supervise lifeguards to scan for critical signals.
4:00pm – 4:45pm Results Based Accountability
Sue Gallagher, Director of Research, Analysis, and Planning
Children’s Services Council of Broward County
How do you know if your program is making a difference? How do you know if your community is improving
its water safety results? Results Based Accountability (RBA) is a simple, plain language approach to
community and program strategic planning and evaluation. Learn how your programs and initiatives contribute
to safer community conditions using data and evidence based practices. See examples of how one community
(Broward County, FL) has successfully implemented RBA to improve water safety outcomes and engage more
community partners.
4:50pm – 5:30pm Breaking the Scanning Habit
Tom Griffiths, President
Rachel Griffiths, Communications Director
Aquatic Safety Research Group, LLC
Based on The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, this presentation addresses the role of habit in lifeguarding
and supervision. We will highlight examples of pros and cons in supervision habits. Creating backboarding and
CPR as habits is essential. However, the habit of scanning can be dangerous. Scanning becomes too automatic.
When lifeguards scan without typically witnessing trouble, they are likely to miss victims. We need to fiddle
with the scanning habit gears, so scanning isn’t too routine. Scanning also needs active thinking. This
presentation provides several strategies to help mix-up the habit of scanning and improve vigilance.
Open Bodies of Water Track – all in same room
2:20pm – 3:05pm Rip Currents and Water Safety
Dr. Stephen Leatherman, Professor
Florida International University
Rip currents are the greatest danger at surf beaches; more than 100 people drown and 50,000 bathers are
rescued by lifeguards annually. In Florida, rip currents are a greater killer than hurricanes, tornadoes or
lightning. One of the problems of conveying the rip threat is the fact that these powerful currents are not all the
same and hence "tell-tale signs" of their presence can vary considerably. In addition, bathers often confuse
undertow, rip currents, and riptides, which are caused by different processes and require different approaches to
escape.
3:10pm – 3:55pm Moderate River Flows May Cause Drownings
Robert Kauffman,Professor, Recreation and Parks Management
Frostburg State University
Based on a comprehensive analysis of the mainstem of the Potomac River in Maryland (analysis of fatalities,
river hydrology, user study), the study found that moderate water levels on rivers are dangerous. The study
developed the concept of the Drowning Trap based on depth, velocity, and deceptiveness of the river. Analysis
of other rivers and a couple of expert witness cases reinforce the concept that moderate river flows may be a
contributing factor in river fatalities and it is time to again analyze this factor’s contribution.
4:00pm – 4:45pm Stand-up Paddleboards: Safety Challenges and Opportunities
Bob Pratt, Director of Education
Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project

6. Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is the fastest growing water sport in the country. Paddleboards are a unique
watercraft that present serious safety risks to the user. Because the sport is in its early stages, we have an
opportunity to create a culture of safety and address these risks. This session will examine what makes the sport
unique, and the hazards associated with it. We will cover current regulations and why they may not be effective.
We will examine what safety measures are effective and how to implement a safety program in your
community.
4:50pm – 5:30pm Ice and Water Rescue Incidents
Gerald Dworkin,Consultant, Aquatics Safety & Water Rescue
Lifesaving Resources, LLC
Everyone assumes that Fire and Rescue personnel are trained and equipped to respond to incidents in, on and
around the water. This session is designed for First Responders and provides critical information for them to
safely and effectively respond to incidents in the water and through the ice.
6:30 pm – 6:45 pm Meet in hotel lobby to walk to ISHOF
6:45 pm Closing Reception and Silent Auction and Wine
ISHOF
Saturday, March 16, 2013 (Post Symposium)
POST CONFERENCE WORKSHOP – Optional Workshops**
10:00am – 12:15pm Community Outreach Event(Offsite)
USA Swimming Foundation
“Make a Splash”Water Safety Festival
Featuring the “First Lesson Day” Event
Joseph C. Carter Pool – Sunrise Blvd
Here are the other things going on at the same time that is not particularly NDPA related but are:
 K38 Rescue is going to hold a workshop on Saturday for the beach patrol.
 Jim Reiser will be holding one of his workshops on Saturday at ISHOF
 Dr. Gord Giesbrecht will be holding a 911 protocols workshop for the tri county dispatchers
for submerged vehicles