Last year, I bemoaned the fact that I had no friends with pools.

Well, guess what? I STILL don’t have any friends with pools!

This is one of the perils of living in often-rainy Portland, Oregon. Very few people have pools and it seems like even fewer bother to clean them for the approximately two months that temperature is right to use them.

But, if you are one of the very lucky few, you might want to check out this website, brought to you by the fine folks at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The cornerstone of the “Pool Safely” campaign is this PSA, narrated by Ming-Na, the voice of Mulan in Disney’s film. The PSA emphasizes simple steps that save lives: door alarms, knowledge of CPR, fencing around pools and spas and safety drain covers in spas.

So what’s one of the best ways to pool safely — at a home pool, community center or elsewhere? Take swimming lessons from the American Red Cross, of course!