Opening Weekend Is Here!

Get Rescue Ready, Stay Vigilant, and Expect the Unexpected.

Welcome to the beginning of summer 2021! We know you are excited to start the season and might be a little bit nervous too and that’s okay. Your training has prepared you for this! Just remember to use what you have learned from lifeguard class, brush up on your skills, and most importantly, be vigilant.

We are coming out of a year where we spent a lot of our time inside and away from other people and everyone is cautiously excited to get back to some fun this summer. However, that means that some of our patrons may not be as familiar with pools and water safety as they have been in the past.  

Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental deaths, just after vehicle accidents. There are many risk factors that can contribute to drowning such as drug and alcohol use, medical conditions, and of course, swimming ability. With so many unable to keep up on their swimming skills last year, it is likely that many more patrons will have less capacity to keep themselves safe in the water this season.

What can you do to make sure all of our guests and patrons are safe this summer? 

The answer is in preventive lifeguarding. Our guests rely on you to ensure that catastrophic incidents do not occur, and this means you must be attentive and vigilant at all times while you are on duty.

Vigilance means you must keep your eyes on your zone and ensure that you are scanning the top, middle, and bottom of the pool for any potential distressed swimmers. Remember, someone can drown in as little as 30 seconds.

Other preventive lifeguarding skills include enforcing the rules of your facility such as ensuring no breath-holding games are played, preventing incidents of hypoxic blackout, also known as shallow water blackout, from occurring. You can also warn guests of any potential hazards and answer their questions while you are actively scanning your zone of protection.

If you notice any hazards, be sure to notify your supervisor right away, especially if for any reason you are not able to see any part of your zone.

Lifeguard class teaches you to expect the unexpected.

“Guests can be unpredictable. They may enter water depths or elements that may cause them to get into trouble. The water conditions may become too challenging for a swimmer to manage on their own and require a rescue. They may suffer a medical emergency in or out of the water.  

It is your job as a lifeguard to recognize when a swimmer is in trouble and to quickly react to render care. Recognizing an emergency means you must maintain a high level of vigilance, effectively scanning your assigned zone. Managing an aquatic emergency means reacting as trained, in a safe and effective manner.”

The first big weekend of the summer season is upon us. The entire team here at American Pool has been working hard to prepare for the kick-off to a great year. We know that it will be fun, exciting, and most importantly, safe, thanks to lifeguards like you. Stay vigilant!