Gov. Jim Doyle proclaimed the week of May 23-29 as Pool Safety Week in Wisconsin to highlight the need for safe practices in and around Wisconsin's many public swimming pools and water attractions throughout the summer recreation season.

"Wisconsin enjoys wonderful resources for water recreation," Gov. Doyle said. "This year, let's make sure our children have close adult supervision to keep them safe while they're playing in or around water."

National research has shown that in 77 percent of child drownings, the child was out of sight for five minutes or less. Gov. Doyle noted that public swimming facilities play a significant role in summer recreation in Wisconsin with more than 3,000 licensed public swimming pools and spas in the state, making pool safety an important issue.

The departments of Commerce and Health and Family Services have developed a brochure to increase awareness of pool safety. The brochure is available at local health departments and to members of the pool and lodging industries. The brochure also can be found at the Safety and Building Division Web site.

-- Tony Hozeny

The newsletter is issued electronically every other month.

Please send comments or questions to Barbro McGinn, editor.