Award-Winning And Lifesaving
#SplashSavvy Campaign aims to assist in a drowning emergency
By Kevin Goodrich and Vic Hathaway
Photos: Marana Parks & Recreation
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 4,000 unintentional drownings occur in the United States every year. The town of Marana, Ariz., hopes to reduce that number.
As someone in a position of responsibility to contribute to decreasing the number of drownings as the town’s Aquatics Recreation Supervisor, I created the award-winning campaign #SplashSavvy. It teaches adults, teens, and children how to respond to a drowning emergency, and includes infographics, tools, and video guides.
There are others working to combat the staggering drowning statistics in both Arizona and the nation, including the inspiring #WaterYouDoing? Drowning-prevention campaign from the city of Chandler, Ariz. But when it came to creating a campaign for Marana, I wanted to try something different.
A United First Response
I wanted to focus on the drowning response, with prevention as a secondary focus. Drowning is preventable and prevention is the key, but while there are many drowning-prevention campaigns teaching adults and children how to be safe in and around the water, drownings still occur.
Motivated by an educational session on first response at the Association of Aquatic Professionals Conference, I understood the importance of collaboration and the elevation of lifeguards as first responders. Multi-agency cooperation became the winning recipe for the #SplashSavvy campaign, as town aquatics, Northwest Fire District, Marana Police Department, Marana Police Communications Department (Dispatch), and MHC Healthcare professionals sat down at the table with the title of First Responders Against Drowning.
This partnership helped solidify lifeguards as first responders in the community as well as enhanced our collective efforts to save lives.
With lifeguards now joining the ranks of traditional first responders, a united message to the community on drowning awareness and response could be accomplished. But first, they needed a name.
Creating A Brand
I turned to the Communications Division of the Town Manager’s Office to create a catchy title, brand, web page, and design collateral. It was important to create materials that caught the target audience’s attention in a meaningful way.
The #SplashSavvy message needed to be informative, accessible, and assuring. Many people understand the importance of drowning awareness, but it’s a scary reality. We asked how we could help residents feel more empowered in a difficult situation. The choices in communications could be the difference between building confidence and instilling fear.
The Communications Division offered a Campaign Development Proposal, which included branded materials, webpage, information pamphlets and handouts, signage at a pool facility, video PSA script, and events descriptions. The resulting 2021 campaign involved high-level cooperation from all participating agencies, with messaging and events that continue to this day.
#SplashSavvy Summer Kick-Off is an annual event that pits lifeguards, firefighters, and police officers against each other in a thrilling, first-responder-themed relay race that includes a mannequin pull/carry, putting gloves on with wet hands, completing a DUI goggle race, and a firehose pull.
Members of the public receive free resource tools, including a #SplashSavvy Emergency Response Tag, which contains emergency contact information and hangs on a pool fence or in a home; it includes quick drowning-response tips, including proper CPR, an awareness of one’s surroundings, and calling 9-1-1 while performing CPR, as well as a space to display other important information such as the address of the property when calling dispatch for help.
The #SplashSavvy Drowning Drills How-To guide is also available, which outlines the steps to create a household’s unique Drowning Drill, much like a fire drill at schools, so everyone in a household knows exactly what to do and how to do it in a drowning emergency.
Additional resources are available on https://www.maranaaz.gov/splashsavvy, including video PSAs, but anyone who visits the town pool or one of the festivals can find the #SplashSavvy booth with even more giveaways, including beach balls, coloring sheets, and stickers. Children can even say hello to Sammy the #SplashSavvy Seal, the newest mascot for the parks and recreation department.
Since the development of the campaign, we continue to promote it, create new materials, and find other ways to spread the message.
For instance, Aquatics Recreation Programmers Jacob Jaeger and Allison Rock incorporate #SplashSavvy into the programs at the pool, including water-safety talks and education for parents during youth swim lessons, and for participants at the Junior Lifeguarding program. Jaeger and Rock even visit the Marana Unified School District to teach first- and fifth-grade students about proper drowning responses and water safety.
Awards And Recognition
Since the launch of #SplashSavvy in the spring of 2021, the campaign has garnered some local and national attention, earning several accolades, including “Outstanding Educational Program” and “Outstanding Aquatics Program” from Arizona Parks & Recreation Association in 2021, as well as “Best of Aquatics – Community Outreach” from Aquatics International magazine in 2022.
I am always ready to talk about #SplashSavvy, whether with the media, the public, or my peers, because it’s so important to spread awareness.
The Future
#SplashSavvy will continue to develop, given the trends within the aquatic industry on water safety, including bathtub safety, open-water drowning, CPR for a drowning victim, and adult drowning.
#SplashSavvy is a united front of first responders to prevent drowning and to spread community awareness and education of drowning responses by providing the tools and resources needed for anyone to effectively respond to a drowning. Drowning prevention is key, but how one responds can mean the difference between life and death of a loved one.
Kevin Goodrich, AqP, AFO, CPRP, is the Aquatics Recreation Supervisor for the town of Marana’s Parks & Recreation Department in Arizona. Reach him at (520) 382-3498, or kgoodrich@maranaaz.gov.
Vic Hathaway is the Communications Manager for the town of Marana. Reach him at vhathaway@maranaaz.gov.