POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Emergency Action Plan
Why an Emergency Action Plan is Important
What to Consider in Your Emergency Action Plan
Below are some questions to ask yourself when creating or validating your emergency action plan (EAP). Please note this list is not exhaustive but includes some of the main items to keep in mind.
- Have we consulted with our local emergency responders on our EAP?
- How will staff initiate the EAP to alert others that there is an emergency?
- Is all of our emergency response equipment in a central location, and easy to retrieve?
- How will 911 be called when an emergency occurs?
- Who will be in charge of clearing the pool/waterfront?
- Who will be responsible for supervising any children who are using the pool/waterfront and in our programs?
- How many people are required to respond to an emergency?
- Can our emergency procedures be accomplished with the fewest guards we have at one time?
- Will we be relying on others in the organization (ex. guests, parents, counselors) to complete any of the steps in our EAP?
- If we rely on staff from outside the aquatics department, are we able to practice our EAP with them?
- Do we have control over all of the steps in our EAP?
- Do we make it a practice to debrief our EAP after an incident?
Tips & Tricks for Practicing Your Emergency Action Plan
Once you have established your EAP, below are some tips and tricks to consider when preparing to practice an emergency action plan:
Include Everyone: Involve everyone in your drill that will have a role in your EAP
Number of Guards: Make sure that the number of guards practicing your EAP mimics the guarding scenarios you have in normal operations
Expectations: Create clear expectations for everyone so that they know what they are responsible for
Practice the Basics: When practicing your EAP, don’t forget to practice every element, like clearing the pool, collecting emergency equipment (like an AED or oxygen), calling 911, and flagging down EMS once they arrive
Supervising Youth: Have a plan in place for any camp or youth programs—where will the kids go once the pool/waterfront has been cleared, and who will be responsible for supervision?
Unexpected Challenges: When practicing your emergency action plan, it is critical that you practice for unexpected challenges that may arise. Some examples include equipment not being brought to the scene, a bystander trying to intervene, or a delay in first responders.
Steps You Can Take
After reading through “Emergency Action Plan,” review the What to Consider in Your Emergency Action Plan questions above and ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I confident that I know the answers to all of these questions?
- Based on these questions, what needs to be changed or updated in our emergency action plan?
- Am I confident that my guards would know the answers to all of these questions?
- When was the last time that my staff was trained on our emergency action plan, and completed it from start to finish?
Key Links & Resources
In-Service Training: Practicing Your Emergency Action Plan
Download our sample in-service training to use with your guards, which will walk them through a situation where your emergency action plan would need to be practiced.
Building an Aquatics Emergency Action Plan: Questions to Consider
Download a set of questions to ask yourself when building or reviewing/updating your emergency action plan.