May 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45

to push accountability. The head
guards are responsible for a station
and a group of lifeguards that they
are in charge of for the day. One
of our best head guards pushes his
team and makes sure they're doing
all the things on their checklists, all
the things we need to do to get 'Everyone
to go home' safely to their
families at night, " says Bohner.
She adds: " We have to check every
attraction. Every attraction needs a
daily safety inspection. We have several
slides, so you have to walk the
slide first, then you have to go down
the slide and make sure it would be
safe for somebody. We're also walking
the facility, picking up trash, all the
things that would be maintenanceminded.
Kids are responsible but
they also want to have a little fun,
too. They're apt to mess around and
not pay attention all the time. One
way we get accountability [and] get
their attention is a saying we use
quite a bit: 'Act as if.' Act as if it's
real, because we know what we do is
important. "
Case in point: " We
had
inservice
training one day that happened
to cover seizures and water, "
says Bohner. " The very next day,
there was a seizure in the pool, a
life-threatening seizure. We had
never before had a life-threatening
seizure at our pools, at least in my
tenure. The guards were trained on
real people, they knew what to do,
and we had a successful resolve because
we train to 'act as if' it's real. "
One-on-one auditing of student
employee skills and knowledge is
the tool Washington State University
uses to ensure accountability, to
ensure Red Cross CPR, AED, and
conscious and unconscious choking
scenarios have been absorbed
and retained. Approximately 300
students get audited annually. A
student employee, depending on
if they work in the summer or not,
could be audited three times a year
- once a semester. Staff members
who are Red Cross certified will
spend three to four hours a week
auditing all employees. Some items
on the audit are weighted more
heavily than others. Forgetting to
call 911 is much more important
than forgetting to put your hand on
a baby's forehead one time during
a set of compressions, for example.
" If you fail your audit (fail to
achieve a score of 80 percent or
higher), you have to meet with your
supervisor, get reviewed on all the
material you were supposed to know
the first time, and then take the audit
again, " says Jared Lindorfer, coordinator,
aquatics and safety education
at Washington State University.
" You have to take that second audit
with either me or my supervisor to
make sure it's going to the highest
trained people in the department. "
He adds, " If you fail your second
audit in the same semester, you're
actually let go of all your positions
because we take this very seriously,
and you're supposed to know this
material. "
Continuous Improvement
and a Culture of Learning
Lifeguard weekly training and skills
building at the water park incorporate
the final two pillars of a culture
of safety: continuous improvement
and a culture of learning. Ramos
uses what he calls a " management
system " to spur continuous improvement
and learning, and his system
relies on the extensive line of courses
from the Red Cross: lifeguard
preparation, lifeguard training, lifeguard
management, safety training
for swim coaches, first aid, CPR/
AED. The Red Cross standard of
excellence raises the bar for aquatics
facility cultures of safety.
The Red Cross standard of excellence
raises the bar for aquatics facility cultures
of safety.
" The Red Cross Lifeguard Management
program takes lifeguarding
to the next level, " says Ramos.
" It covers how to set up a training,
how to deal with employee issues,
how to make sure employees feel
confident and accepted. It's a fantastic
course.
" A culture of safety is as good
as its standards. You want to make
sure you're holding true to your
standards. And the guards learn the
standards, what they are, through
training in the Red Cross programs. "
An aquatics facility won't establish
a culture of safety overnight. It takes
time to implement the principles described
here. But you know a facility
has reached that level of excellence
when you ask any team member,
" What's the culture of safety around
here? " And they say, " Just watch us.
It's what we do every day. "
To hear Nichole Bohner and Dr. William
Ramos speak more about creating
a culture of safety for aquatics facilities,
tune in to the May bonus episode of Open
Space Radio at nrpa.org/May2023
BonusEpisode.
Stephanie Shook, CPRP, is the Senior Product Manager of
Aquatics and Instructors for the American Red Cross
(stephanie.shook@redcross.org).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | MAY 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
45
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROCK›
N RIVER WATER PARK
http://www.nrpa.org/May2023BonusEpisode http://www.nrpa.org/May2023BonusEpisode
May 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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