Inflatable Pools - Public Relations Opportunity for the Contractors (PR 2)

Inflatable pools are cheap, easy to install, and lots of fun for kids. That's why there are 30,000 to 40,000 sold each year. Many of them are made in China, Taiwan and Korea and sold in Wal-Mart and similar outlets for between $10 and $750. They range in height between 18 inches and 4 feet, and hold between less than 200 to more than 5,000 gallons of water.

The safety answer is: adults must watch the kids every minute they are in or near the pool; the pool should be emptied or covered when not in use; SURROUND THE POOL WITH A 4 FOOT FENCE AND A SELF-CLOSING, SELF-LOCKING GATE.

And all of those pools are opportunities for fence contractors because everyone wants to keep children safe, and inflatable pools are dangerous, especially for young children for whom the pools were bought in the first place.

Now, it's very unlikely someone is going to hire a fence contractor to fence in a $100 pool (or even a $750 one). However, this is an opportunity for you to talk about pool safety, present yourself to your community as an expert in fencing and help build name recognition.

Public relations is all about getting your name out in a positive light, and inflatable pools are in the news, which means this is a great opportunity.

The June 2005 Consumer Report article has a lot of information. Other info is available at the links below.

Call the local editor of your town newspaper and tell him you have a news release about the dangers to children with inflatable pools, and how to keep those children safer. Then, add your name and telephone number to the news release at this link, and send it, or hand-deliver it before the next deadline.

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Link to sample press release Inflatable Pool Press Release (word doc). Feel free to use this as your own, adapt it, whatever..