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Safety
Aquatic Safety Begins With You !
Aquatic safety at your facility starts with the community leaders and continues with each and every pool patron. Each property has a decision maker, a Club Manager, Property Manager, Board of Directors or sometimes a Swimming Pool Committee that establishes pool rules, pool pass systems, staffing levels and is responsible for the selection of the pool management company. Following are examples of how to contribute to the safety and successful operation of your pool:
Pool Pass System
The 1st step to ensure a safe swimming facility is proper gate control. Every property should have a pool pass system that identifies residents and indicates the age of children. If the pool rules specify a minimum age that a child can enter the pool without adult supervision, it is helpful to indicate on the pass itself, the different age groups of children by color, symbols, etc.
Pool passes should also be available for guests. Potential problems exist when the lifeguard staff is responsible for the collection of cash guest fees. Consider allowing residents to purchase a book of passes ahead of time or require personal checks as the sole method of payment at the gate.
Finally, it is crucial that pool passes are distributed in advance of the pool season. For privacy and liability concerns, the community must support and embrace a zero tolerance policy for non-compliance with the pool pass system.
Pool Rules
Every property should have a clearly defined set of pool rules. These rules should be well thought out and comprehensive to include rules that address age limit restrictions, parent responsibilities and child supervision requirements. Pool rules should be reviewed frequently and modified as needed. The rules should also define swimmers and non-swimmers, and how this applies to entry in the pool. Consult your pool company for suggestions regarding your pool rules.
Staffing Requirements
Swimming pool management companies propose to provide a certain number of staff members based upon the previous year's contract or the specifications outlined by the community or it's managing agent.
It is crucial to the safety of your pool patrons that there are an adequate number of lifeguards on duty. The demographics of a community can change, posing the need for more (sometimes less, but this is rare) supervision at the pool. Previous staffing requirements may not have been adequate for your facility in the past, but was never communicated to the community. While historical data is important, also consider the following factors in your pools staffing requirements:
- Pool size and shape -- There must be enough guards to see all areas of the pool at all times with no "blind" spots.
- Pool attendance -- Higher attendance requires more guard coverage. Consider additional coverage during peak use hours such as weekends or the middle of the day.
- Gate control and other guard responsibilities -- Your staff is also responsible for proper gate control and the overall cleanliness and maintenance of the pool. At larger facilities these duties alone would require one or more lifeguards.
- Consider opening the pool full time from opening day. While school is in session some properties choose to abbreviate the schedule. Think about this, the pool just opened, the staff is learning (or being taught) the idiosyncrasies of your pool. What better time to "fine tune" the staff than in early June, while the pool is slow during school hours. The financial benefit of school hours schedule is minimal, the overall pool management benefit is huge. Plus you are more likely to have the same staff members, because you hours are not spread out amongst several lifeguards. When there are not enough hours for a full-time staff, your hours will be added to the hours at other pools to come up to a full schedule for the lifeguard.
Pool Management Company
Though price is a factor in any community expense, there are a number of additional considerations involved in the selection process. The most important consideration is the safety of the pool patrons!
From gate control to pool rules to staffing requirements and concluding with the selection of a pool contractor you can make a difference in the aquatic safety at your facility!
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