About this episode

This episode discusses drowning as a preventable public health crisis with Alissa Magrum, emphasizing the importance of water safety education and community efforts.

Episode Notes April 8, 2026 This episode of Deep Dive into Water Safety explores a critical truth: drowning is not random, rare, or inevitable; it is a preventable public health crisis. Alissa Magrum , Executive Director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance , will unpack why drowning continues to impact communities worldwide despite being largely preventable. Alissa shares her deeply personal journey into drowning prevention and highlights the urgent need to treat water safety as an essential life skill, just like wearing seatbelts or bike helmets. The conversation dives into the concept of “water competency,” emphasizing that safety goes beyond swimming skills to include awareness, environment, and decision-making across all ages and water settings. They also discuss the challenges of messaging, funding, and policy, and why collaboration locally and globally is key to driving change. From innovative community efforts like life jacket loaner stations and experiential learning, to national strategies and global partnerships, this episode highlights the growing momentum in drowning prevention. The takeaway is clear: water safety is everyone’s responsibility. With better…

People in this episode

Guest: Alissa Magrum

Topics covered

• drowning prevention
• water safety
• public health
• community efforts
• education
• policy

Keywords

• drowning
• water competency
• safety skills
• public health crisis
• community collaboration
• education
• policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Drowning Prevention Alliance

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