Playground Guide - 2020 - 15

Playground Safety with
a New Perspective
The concept of playgrounds being accessible so that all kids and
caregivers can get outside to play
is paramount when BPRD begins
the playground planning process.
The BPRD Mission, to work with
the community to provide residents
and visitors with the highest quality
park, program, facility and event experience, guides this process.
BPRD's core purpose is to provide aﬀordable, accessible and sustainable public park and recreation
services. The " accessible " and " sustainable " pieces of that core purpose took on additional meaning
as a result of the pandemic. In addition to providing playgrounds for all
ages and abilities, " accessible " now
means that we strive to keep playgrounds as safe as possible through
new processes and increased awareness. " Sustainable " now means that
we do everything we can to keep
kids and caregivers safe and healthy,
so that playgrounds can continue to
stay open and provide that necessary social and physical outlet for
the community.
Increased use of playgrounds
meant that BPRD staﬀ also needed
to increase the frequency of inspections. Trained Certiﬁed Playground
Safety Inspectors (CPSIs) examine
playgrounds every other week with
a low-frequency inspection at the
beginning of the month. The lowfrequency inspection includes a very

close look at all the nuts and bolts of
the playground, looking for wear and
tear, and any safety concerns. The
high-frequency inspection is completed in the middle of the month.
In addition, if BPRD receives any
calls about a playground concern,
the CPSI will inspect it right away. All
inspections and safety concerns are
addressed and recorded.
In addition to the regularly scheduled safety repairs and maintenance
checks of the playground, BPRD
staﬀ also inspect the playground for
cleanliness. The safety signs placed
at the playgrounds were also inspected to make sure they were holding
up to changes in the weather and
they were visible to visitors.
BPRD embraces playground safety by supporting and continually
enrolling staﬀ in the CPSI program.
The training for this nationally recognized mark of excellence has
been hosted in Bismarck since the
early 1990s through the National
Recreation and Park Association
and the North Dakota Recreation
and Park Association. Twenty-three
percent of the total BPRD staﬀ are
CPSIs. This ensures that BPRD is
providing the safest playgrounds
possible to the community and the
members it serves.
The pandemic was a reminder that
BPRD's community-based research
and the planned approach to adding,
replacing and maintaining outdoor
spaces, including playgrounds, made
a diﬀerence and provided great re-

The pandemic taught all park
and recreation professionals
additional lessons, including the
ability to make adjustments and
decisions based on community
needs and expectations, to
be able to pivot and move
forward, to trust the guidance
provided by health experts, to
be able to provide new training
opportunities to staﬀ, and
to collaborate based on local
context and local conditions.
wards. Playgrounds support BPRD's
vision: Be the leader and premier provider of public parks, programs, facilities and leisure services.
The pandemic taught all park and
recreation professionals additional
lessons, including the ability to make
adjustments and decisions based
on community needs and expectations, to be able to pivot and move
forward, to trust the guidance provided by health experts, to be able to
provide new training opportunities to
staﬀ, and to collaborate based on local context and local conditions.
The pandemic also taught us
that we need playgrounds. So, " Go
outside and play. "
Randy Bina, CPRE, is Executive Director at Bismarck Parks
and Recreation District (BPRD) in Bismarck, North Dakota
(RBina@bisparks.org).

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Playground Guide - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Playground Guide - 2020