From Mat Luebbers,
Your Guide to Swimming.
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The Safety Turtle is a personal wireless alarm system designed to protect young children from drowning or serious injury in backyard swimming pools, lakes and other water hazards. Unlike other alarms that are triggered when a person enters a swimming pool area, the Safety Turtle system goes with and safeguards the child wherever he or she goes.

A toddler can drown in the time it takes to answer the phone. The Safety Turtle system includes a locking wristband, designed in the shape of a colourful turtle that is worn on the child's wrist. The wristband instantly detects immersion in water and sends a radio signal to a base station in the home, sounding a loud alarm. The Safety Turtle is designed so that rain and spray from lawn sprinklers won't trigger the alarm, but a toddler wading into a pool or lake will.

The best protection against such a tragedy is the constant supervision by the parent or adult. Homeowners should also secure their swimming pool, ideally with a four-sided pool safety fence with self-latching gate.

Inventor Bob Lyons, President of Terrapin Communications Inc. of Ottawa, Ont., has won a prestigious $10,000 Manning Innovation Award, sponsored by Noranda Inc., for his safety innovation that is helping to protect children, seniors, disabled persons and even pets from drowning. Lyons, who has a PhD from Carleton University in Ottawa, has 25 years' experience developing analog and digital communications systems and products.