THE BASICS
Facility Preparedness
Why Facility Preparedness is Important
What is Facility Preparedness?
A lifeguard will only be set up for success if the facility is also prepared to respond to any incident that may occur. The equipment that you have available in the event of an incident, and whether or not it is accessible and in good working condition, will be critical to their response and providing on-deck care. Below are items that Redwoods recommends, but please reference your training bodies, and local code, for equipment that will be required at your pool or waterfront.
- AED
- Oxygen
- Emergency Response Notification System
- First Aid Kit
- Backboard
AED & Oxygen Example
As seen in this photo, the facility has stored their AED and oxygen together. This helps ensure that both are brought to the scene of an emergency.
Emergency Equipment Example
As seen in this photo, the facility has an emergency button directly on the pool deck, and close to other critical emergency equipment. No matter what your system is, it is important that you have something that can alert others that an emergency is occurring.
Tips & Tricks for Facility Preparedness
Below are tips and tricks for getting your facility prepared.
Accessibility: Regularly check to make sure that all emergency equipment is easily accessible and not blocked by any other items
Location of AED/Oxygen: Keep these items together in one place so that when an emergency occurs they can be brought together
If you are in a camp setting, your AED/Oxygen may be needed in response to incidents at the waterfront, pool, and/or elevation areas. Therefore, it will be critical that you assess who you serve, and what makes the most sense for your program when determining how many AEDs you will need and a proper storage location. Review our resource on AEDs in the Camp Environment to determine what works best for you.
Inspection: Inspect your AED and oxygen regularly to make sure they are in good working condition and nothing is expired
Train Guards on Equipment Location: Regularly check to make sure lifeguards know where the emergency equipment is located
Train Guards on Using Equipment: Practice using equipment regularly, so that staff aren’t trying to figure out how to use it for the first time in an emergency. This will create a habit among staff to bring the equipment to the scene whenever your emergency action plan is activated. It will also reinforce the behaviors of not just bringing the equipment, but opening and setting it up, and alerting the responding guards that it is ready for use.
Steps You Can Take
After reading through “Facility Preparedness,” ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I confident that all of my lifeguards and staff know where our equipment is?
- When was the last time our equipment was checked to make sure it was properly working and not expired?
- When was the last time we rehearsed our emergency action plan from start to finish (identification, response, extrication, on-deck care, etc.)?
- Am I confident that staff would bring all necessary equipment to an emergency and would know how to properly use it?
If you are not confident in any of your answers today, make a plan on how and when you will address these gaps.
Key Links & Resources
AEDs and Oxygen in the Aquatic Environment
Read this resource for additional recommendations and considerations when using AEDs and oxygen in the aquatic environment.
AED Inspection Log
This tool will provide you with a way to stay on top of maintenance and supply issues by regularly inspecting your AED.
Safety Sound Bite: Utilizing Oxygen in a Medical or Aquatic Event
In this Safety Sound Bite, we discuss how critical it is for organizations to have oxygen on-site in the event of an aquatic event.