To expect a lifeguard to guard life

[BBisHavingAnotherBBaby]

Today i took DS swimming to the local swimming center, it has a normal type pool (shallow to deep) with like bubbly bits, and this has half hourly waves. It also has a shallow kids pool with two little slides, a very deep pool and 2 sets of flumes, one which comes out in an enclosed space with no depth, two that come out into a pool (same pool).

During the toddler session the deep but lovely and warm pool is closed, as is the enclosed end flume.
The other two flumes are open. As is the kids pool and the normal pool. There are generally 1 or 2 lifegaurds watch the big pool and 1 watch the flume exit pool and the kids paddle pool.

DP and I took DS today, normally I go with friends but he fancied it. He has previously trained as a life guard (now expired), relevant i suppose

It wasnt very busy probably ten -12 families max. One family had 2 kids one parent with each. I think that perhaps mum Thought dad had littler one, either way she was half a pool length from little one, dad was probably about three meters but focused on older child back to Little one. Little one starts to flounder, badly, first I know is life gaurd blowing whistle once and pointing. Mum to far away clearly flustered but makes attempt to get to girl, dad looks panicked cant leave bigger one really but obv little one needs him

Im doing Lengths and obviously have just noticed commotion. DP swimming with DS towards little girl as cant leave him, i shout to dad to go to little girl whilst swimming like
Mad to bigger girl (she was able to float quite well) im not the fastest swimmer.

This obviously happened fast but when dad reached littlw girl she was so not with it coughing and spluttering, but was thankfully fine.

DP reached girl asked if they needed help, first aid etc, i took older girl over to her mum.

Whole family upset, in lamenting myself (stupidly) as if DP hadnt had DS he would of gotten there quicker..

Meanwhile my mild mannered normally gentle Dp is angrier than Ive ever seen him...

Apparently protocol says lifegaurd should have given 3 blasts of whistle and jumped in.. In reality he pointed then sat down! DP raged at life guard, spoke to manager and basically went bat shit. The lifeguard didnt even check the little girl over.

I appreciate that the parents are responsible for their kids but was DP being U to have taken it further? The manager seemed to think so!

Surely thats: A. Fucking ridiculous and B. relating to beach life guards.

Although A. Just makes me and

I was always taught (white water safety and rescue so a wee bit different) that you must risk assess and not get involved immediately, especially if you are responsible for more people than just the one in trouble. The quick risk assessment was...

self can the swimmer sort themself out, if they can then let them - in this scenario obviously not

shout can you issue instructions that will allow the swimmer to sort them self out - this is sort of what happened in this scenario

reach can you reach the swimmer or hold out an aid to tow them in?

throw throwline, flotation aid to assist swimmer

( row )

go enter the water yourself to rescue swimmer.

I. E the absolute last resort is getting in the water yourself as you put yourself, and by extension anyone else you are responsible for, in danger.

I don't know what the rules for standard lifeguarding is, but I think he may have been doing the right thing.

Hmm that sounds vaguely sensible although at the same time Stupid..if that is the case is there a guid on ratios? I.e should there have been two watching to free up one for potential rescue?

I would have thought being a specific toddler session and not open to the general public that more care would have been exercised? Altho i suppose that they expect parents to accompany young children. That said some were there with three children to one adult. Its a contentious issue

Even with the ' don't enter the water unless last course of action approach' , the lifeguard should be over & assessing the situation once the child is out of the water, checking (even just by asking) is everybody ok and if necessary advising that person involved is checked out further at Drs/hospital etc.
Sounds like that part if duty of care was missed at the very least.

How could the lifeguard choose where to jump, if adults were rushing and swimming to children?

An adult male landing on someone could kill them.

He could not have calculated where to jump and there was no need to.

It can often appear that staff are not reacting 'enough', but it is better to see how events are unfolding, as long as someone isn't dying (which they were not).

Actually bird thats factually inaccurate, there was plenty of space to enter the water, with only 12 or so families in the whole facility spread over two large pools and the flume...

My original point of annoyance was the delay he could of whistled and gotten straight in and still rescued the child before my DP or the father reached the child. I would wager that within one stroke he would of been able to walk to the child, he WAS the closest adult in relation to her position in the pool. Perhaps my OP did nit make that clear

cadlecrap - same thing in my ds's class (3 yr olds) - he fell in and the teacher was on the other side of the teaching pool. Thankfully she heard him and raced back over to grab him, lifeguard just sat there looking bored and didn't even stand up or point. I was watching from behind a glass window upstairs so couldn't even shout. The teacher seems to have requested a specific lifeguard now who is great and usually stands near the children who are on the other side to the teacher. I should have complained at the time but was just thankful that ds was fine and not afraid to get back in the water.

I used to be a lifeguard when I was 17-18. We would have been in the water like a shot if that had happened whilst we were on duty.

YANBU

thank god for your DP,

def take it further,

Been thinking about this some more - earlier this year I was on one of those "lazy river" rides at a water park (lots of people in rings and a mild current) we were approached by a guy who told us he was doing a training exercise and to ignore him. As we passed one of the (many) lifeguards stationed on the side he floated past underwater. That lifeguard was in the river and had the guy up and out within seconds.

She was quite shaken but her observance and reactions were absolutely spot on.

The lifeguards at our local pool are too busy chatting and eating to guard life. A child died in the pool, you would think that would be enough to wake them up, but no.

YANBU