Our school uses Stovall Parks pool facilities every year for our back to school party.... and it has been a good experience, which is why we return yearly.
This year, however, we had difficulty with lifeguards and did not receive satisfaction upon complaint.
We pay for the rental of the pool, and we pay for community parks employed lifeguards. We pay their paycheck.
This year, the 2 lifeguards for the younger kids pool section sat on a brick wall for the full 2 hours and talked to each other. They did not scan the water as lifeguards are trained to do.
A parent pointed them out to me saying, “those lifeguards aren’t watching the pool at all.”
So then I and 2 other adults began watching them from the picnic area, and for 30 minutes they never stopped talking to each other and never once scanned the water.
In addition, where they were sitting, they had a blind spot where little ones could play in the water under the brick wall out of their sight. Afterward, I went over and checked their line of vision from their position.
When our time was over, I went to speak to them, telling them that they weren’t following lifeguard protocol (I.e., watch alone, talk to no one, never take your eyes off the children in the water, continually scan). The boy kept saying “ok, ok, ok” very dismissively.
I also told them they were at work, should not have been sitting together chatting, and a child could have drowned in their blind spot, and they never would have known.
Their response? “Yes, we were SO watching the whole time. Yes, we could SO see behind the brick wall, it didn’t block THEIR view. We WERE doing our job.”
I told them that we had watched for the last 30 minutes and during that time they had NEVER ONCE scanned the children.
and then they said, “what do you want us to DO?” “What do you want us to SAY lady.”
I said, “I thought you’d say sorry, and you would not do that in the future.”
Girl then said, “ok, sorry, but I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Boy said, “see, she said sorry. What more do you want?”
I said, “when you say sorry BUT you didn’t do it” that is not the same as being sorry.”
So I found and spoke to the managing lifeguard inside the building. Her very first response was, “They were SO watching!”
But she never was out there, so how would she know.
Then the worst was said by her. When I told her that they didn’t seem to be trained in lifeguard protocol, she said that they were, and they do stand in more strategic spots, on either side of the pool, alone, and continually scan the kids during “open swim.”
But for “2 hour rental parties,” we don’t make them do that, we say they can sit on the brick wall in the shade and talk to each other, because they don’t want to stand in the sun for 2 hours.
That’s somewhat horrifying. So when you PAY for lifeguards, you don’t really get lifeguards.
You just pay for rude teenagers, to not work, do nothing, but smart-off to you.
This is very dangerous protocol for children’s safety. Can...
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