NY State Clarifies Suction Entrapment Requirements for Portable Spas
The Northeast Spa and Pool Association (NESPA) on May 9 received a response from New York State clarifying that because portable spas are appliances, they are not required to comply with the suction entrapment provisions of the Residential Code of New York State (RCNYS). The code question surfaced after New York adopted the International Residential Code’s (IRC) Appendix G, “Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs,” and certain local officials attempted to apply the suction entrapment language in section AG106 to portable hot tubs. MORE.

Spring 2008 APSP Public Relations Release
“Opening Your Pool for the Season: What You Need to Know”
With warm weather approaching, an article on what homeowners need to know to get their swimming pools in shape for the season has been posted on the ARA ContentWeb site by Gibbs & Soell, APSP public relations. Last year’s release placed on the ARA Web site—to which reporters, editors and publishers go for free, high quality articles—reached over a million viewers. With 83 editors having already accessed the release in its first week of posting, this is an effective and economical way to publicize APSP to a consumer audience in both print and online placements.

Pool Permits – Stay Current with Local Requirements
Keeping up with building permits, changes to permit legislation and renewals of permits can take a lot of time and energy. Many large pool builders have runners within their organizations who handle permit filing. Private companies that specialize in permit filing are also sprouting in many U.S. metropolitan areas.

Teresa Christmas, APSP Regional Manager for Region 10, believes it's important to build relationships with these runners and permit companies, to stay informed of permitting changes when they occur. These specialists are usually the first in the industry to become aware of governmental changes required for permits. The best way to locate a permit company or runner is through APSP regional and chapter networks. One permit company representative who recently joined APSP now heads a watchdog task force on his Chapter’s Board of Directors.

ANSI/APSP Standards Available to Code Officials on ICC Web site
APSP has made arrangements with the International Code Council (ICC) to give the ANSI/APSP standards to ICC governmental members via the ICC Web site. ICC governmental members (building code officials) will now be able to download all of the pool and spa standards published by APSP. MORE.

Put Safety First – Your Customers Will Notice!
APSP Pool & Spa Safety Week, May 31-June 6, is being promoted across the United States! Make sure you promote it in your local area, too. Radio Disney in Sacramento will be running the radio PSAs (public service announcements) the week of June 2. Governors from California to Maine have been sent the APSP Safety Week proclamation. And, newspapers throughout the U.S. are receiving information. Make sure your customers get their safety information from you! Use the FREE resources and don’t forget to order the safety brochures, wristbands and Pool Patrol visors--Click here. Get involved in safety. It’s good for your customers and good for your business.

Advanced Retailer Program Offers Education and Sponsorship Opportunities
Spotlighting important topics challenging today's pool and hot tub retailers, APSP will offer the Advanced Retailer Program on Monday, November 17, during the 2008 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo in Las Vegas. Presented by the APSP Retailers Council, this third annual full-day educational program provides pool/spa retailers with high-level, cutting-edge information on current and emerging trends and concepts. For details of this year's Advanced Retailer Program, click here. To learn how your company can benefit from sponsoring this program, click here for sponsorship opportunities.

Career Institute Calls for Service Tech Job Descriptions
Do you have a great job description for your service technician professionals? Are you willing to share your ideas with others in the industry? The APSP Career Institute is gathering job descriptions in order to develop a job profile for beginning, intermediate and advanced service technicians. Submissions will also be used to create a library of job and performance-related resources. All of the descriptions will be reviewed, and the best entry will receive special recognition in an upcoming Industry Currents newsletter. If you have a job description that outlines the knowledge, skills and abilities that are needed in today’s pool, spa and hot tub service technicians, please forward it to Michael Reed at mreed@apsp.org

Caldera Hot Tubs Get an Olympic Boost
Three-time Gold Medal-winning swimmer Aaron Peirsol is a big fan of Caldera® Spas Hot Tub Circuit Therapy® for daily relaxation and massage after his strenuous workouts. The jets in Aaron’s hot tub provide targeted massage to major muscle groups, a healthy and relaxing way to remove stress from the body and improve flexibility. MORE.