LETTERS
to a victim of respiratory or cardiac arrest unnamed insurance company show that no
We're not because, by law, they would be required to
provide care up to the level of their train-
just another ing. If the health professional does not have
pretty grale. the necessary equipment to provide care (up
to tlie level of their training), or if their
training is "out of date," then they should
not attempt to intervene.
It's what's This situation, however, is very differ-
ent from that of a lifeguard who does,
inside ^&2* indeed, have a duty to act — not only to
respond to the situation, but to prevent die
that incident and to recognize the incident and/or
HKi:!?. its potential.
For opetators, there are only a couple
of alternatives: Do not staff your facility
with lifeguards. Or train, equip and ptepare
your lifeguard staff for emergency incidents
so their response to a critical incident
| P P n i r i i i '. ■
I I I I I I I I L I ■
becomes automatic and second nature.
That means standard operating proce-
11
dures need to be developed and adhered to
by all personnel. Emergency response plans
need to be developed for every conceivable
emergency, and lifeguards must be drilled
in their response to these incidents.
The National Fire Protection Associa-
tion has a standard for technical rescue
fJVFPA 167Q)t which in a nutshell, states
that the authority having jurisdiction needs
Made from the highest to conduct a comprehensive threat assess-
quality, low heat absorption, ment and determine the level of response
outdoor grade PVC for its
flexibility, strength and I needed to effectively manage the hazards
protection and risks, Then it needs to plan for the
» Tested for (ASTM E-661) incident, train for the incident, and acquire
load-to-failure and deflection the resources necessary to manage and
at 200 pounds
respond to the incident,
•Non-slip surface tested Pethaps the aquatics industry should
CASTM C-1028] coefficient of
friction, wet or dry develop and adopt a similar standard.
Tested for color fastness and
UV stability [ASTM G-154, Gerald All. Dworkin
exceeding 750 Hours] Consultant
•Readily available and stocked Lifesaviig Resources
in all widths and sizes in six Dublin, N.H.
standard colors —the
largest in the world
I n a recent "Perspectives" article, Dr. John
iHunsucker, Ph.D., voiced concerns over
Contact us today to receive _ the employment of young lifeguards. I gen-
a FREE sample or erally concur.
request a quote! Lifesaving is public safety, and death is
i national consensus of the national resus-
an issue that lifeguards must sometimes con-
front. Few experiences are more stressful
GRATE than being expected to save someone in a
f
TECHNOLOGIES life-and-death situation. Maturity is criti-
a Division of Lawson Aquatlcs, inc. ca,, not only to ensure effectiveness under
1 800 897 61 great pressure, but to deal with the
Circle 111 on Postage-Free Ca chological aftereffects.
LAWS0NAQUATICS.COM Hunsucker states that the records of an
12 AQUATICS INTERNATIONAL | JULY/AUGUSt 2007 | www.aqwtie.inif.cmii
drowning victim submerged for more than
one minute survived.
This tends to imply that resuscitation
efforts aftet one minute of submersion are
ineffective, but I think that is misleading.
I suspect the teality is that if a victim
is not observed struggling or submerging and
an immediate effort to rescue mounted, it
may be a long while before the victim is
brought to the surface. In that case, out-
come is not so much related to the quality
of tesuscitation, but the time intetval
before it is attempted.
Few experiences are more
stressful than being expected
to save someone in a life-and-
death situation. Maturity is
critical, not only to deal with
the psychological aftereffects.
Hunsucket also states that of the 12
fatalities his company investigated, only
<ince did a lifeguard perform resuscitation,
with guests or management handling it in
the other cases. This is very troubling and
suggests some real problems of training and
responsibiliry that mav indeed be associ-
ated with maturity.
I have attended many resuscitation
efforts by professional lifeguards and have
never observed a citizen directly involved
in CPR when adequate lifeguard srnff was
at the scene. Of course, these were adult
ocean guards trained to EMT or first te-
sponder levels.
My greatest concern, however, is that
while Hunsucker's article addresses the
ineffectiveness of resuscitation, he and his
company, National Aquatic Safety Co.
(NASCO), continue to advocate use of the
Heimlich maneuver for drowning.
In this, they appear to stand alone be-
cause it has long been rejecred by inter-
citation councils of the wotld. In one ar-
ticle on the matter, while he acknowl-
edged that his Ph.D. is in engineeting he
medically deconsttucted arguments on the
maneuver and ultimately endorsed it quip-
ping, "I'm a hugger and don't kiss unless
1 have to."
LETTERS
Hunsucker appropriately worries over
the psychological impact on guards who
unsuccessfully attempt resuscitation, but
what if that failure is the remit of fol-
lowing his and his company's improper
guidelines?
B. Chris Brewster
LiFestmng Commissioner
Intemntioftollife Saviig Federation
San Diego
14 AQUATICS INTERNATIONAt | JUtY/AUGUST 2007 | www.aqualicsinll.com
Cover Photo Doesn't Earn Keep
I n regard to the April 20Q7 issue of Aqm
lics Imanatimd, 1 have a few concerns about
the cover photograph. One of my senior
lifeguards noticed the poor representation
of a professional lifeguard right next to the
title "Earning Theit Keep." The female life-
guard is not holding her tube correctly and
she is not wearing the strap. The lifeguard
in the stand is not using a rescue tube at
all and, while he might be at the end of an
effective scan, it appeats that he is not watch-
ing the water.
° Also, the lifeguard on die stand is sport-
ing an ankle tattoo. An unsettling thought
fot me is that there's an ongoing debate
about the professionalism of tattoos on life-
guards. That debate would more appropri-
ately be changed to what matters most,
which should be preventing injuties in and
around the water.
1 don't believe the lifeguards on the
cover are "earning their keep," but 1 am
relieved to know that my staff is.
There's an ongoing debate
about the professionalism of
tattoos on lifeguards. That debate
would more appropriately be
changed to what matters most,
which should be preventing
injuries in and around the water.
I hope in the futute that a closer eye
might be used in choosing how to depict
our young professionals. We have to fight
public perception outside of our field; we
shouldn't create inconsistencies within it.
Stephanie Scott
Aquatic and Safety Training Specialist
Oklahoma City (Okio.) Community College
It has been almost a year since I wrote
concerning the use of rescue tubes in the
photographs accompanying an article on
lifeguard management in the May 2006 issue
of Aquatics JiuematiW and I am once again
disappointed with the photograph choice
depicting on-duty lifeguatds.
On the cover of the April 2007 issue,
the lifeguard in the chair does not appear
to have a rescue tube at all, and the life-
guard on deck is not wearing hers properly.
The Red Cross lifeguard training pro-
gram (and other equivalent training
programs} clearly indicate that a lifeguatd
must have their arm and head through the
loop of the strap, and the rescue tube should
in their lap or across the the front of their
body. This is the standard of care across the
industry and in a well-managed aquatics