Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff photo: Joshua Lucero Christopher Shuster, a nine-year lifeguard veteran, keeps watch over children playing in the Potter Pool Thursday afternoon.
Staff photo: Joshua Lucero Potter Pool lifeguard Jonathan McCormick watches over a lone swimmer in the deep end.
link Staff photo: Joshua Lucero
Christopher Shuster, a nine-year lifeguard veteran, keeps watch over children playing in the Potter Pool Thursday afternoon.
link Staff photo: Joshua Lucero
Potter Pool lifeguard Jonathan McCormick watches over a lone swimmer in the deep end.
By Joshua Lucero
STAFF WRITER
With summer in full swing, pools are filling up with children and adults alike looking to cool off and have fun.
More bodies in the water means more work for area lifeguards as they keep a watchful eye for inexperienced or fatigued swimmers in need of assistance or rescue.
Saving drowning swimmers isn’t the only job a lifeguard performs during a shift. Lifeguards maintain the chlorine levels and cleanliness of the pools as well as a performing routine mock rescue scenarios.
Potter Pool lifeguards Chris Shuster and Jonathan McCormick answered a few questions about the intricacies of their job.
Here are five things to know about lifeguarding.
• Breaks are vital to the job. Lifeguards take 15 to 30 minute breaks every hour depending on the number of guards on duty. Guards will rotate stations every 15 minutes so fresh eyes are always on every part of the pool. “Rotating stations helps keep yourself awake and focused.” said McCormick.
• Lifeguarding requires certifications with specific requirements. The lifeguard certification class requires participants to be able to swim 300 meters, tread water for two minutes without using their hands, and to be able to reach the bottom of a 12 foot deep pool just to get into the class. Once in the class, lifeguards learn CPR, first aid, deep water rescue, how to recognize swimmers in danger, and how to remove spinal injury victims from the water using a backboard.
• Recognizing when someone is in danger in the water is difficult. When a swimmer is in trouble, visual signs are all the lifeguard has to go on because most victims are already under the water when they need help. Lifeguards are trained to look for any signs of dangerous behavior, children going too deep, or for those having a medical problem in the water.
“It’s hard to recognize if there needs to be a save, but it’s better to go in even if you might look like an idiot.” said Shuster, a nine-year lifeguard veteran.
• The rules are in place for a reason. Every rule that is enforced by lifeguards is meant to keep the public safe. One of the most frequent complaints at the Potter Pool is the swim-wear policy according to McCormick.
McCormick explained, “We have the (swimsuit rule) because regular clothes attract the chlorine instead of keeping the entire pool clean and cotton is heavier in the water.”
• Lifeguards rely on a universal whistle code.
One short blow of the whistle is used get the attention of a swimmer, two short blasts are used to gain the attention of another lifeguard for a non-emergency situation, three short blasts signals an emergency situation and initiates an emergency action plan, and one long blast of the whistle is used to clear the pool.
“A long whistle is used to clear the pool for any emergency situation that requires three or more lifeguards, pool extractions, not enough guards on duty, or a contaminated pool,” Shuster said.
