In-Service Training: Emergencies at Off-Site Locations

As you plan your in-service trainings, we encourage you to incorporate skill-based training into each session. Creating trainings that are realistic and conducted in real-time helps prepare lifeguards to know what to expect—and how they might feel—if an aquatic event were to happen. That’s why, throughout the Not On My Watch series, we’ll incorporate an inservice topic of the week with an example of a scenario you can use to train your staff.

Topic: Emergencies at Off-Site Locations

In the event that there is an emergency situation while off-site, it is important that your staff are prepared on how to respond. Practicing these scenarios will help staff know what to expect before an actual emergency occurs. This includes making sure that both your staff and the venue’s staff understand each others roles and responsibilities. When practicing your emergency action plan while at an off-site aquatics location, consider the following:

• Involve everyone in the drill that will have a role to play
• Create clear expectations for your staff so that they know what they are responsible for. This is extremely important when at an off-site location. Will they be in charge of responding to the event and providing care? Or will their role be calling leadership, reporting the incident and/or locating all of the other program participants?
• Practice how you will supervise all youth in the event of an emergency

Below we have created a scenario that you can use with your staff. Please feel free to print this off and use during your in-service training.

Scenario:
Every Wednesday, your organization takes all campers to a local aquatic park. While at the aquatic park, all campers are assigned buddies. Every hour, you conduct buddy checks in order to make sure that all children are accounted for. That afternoon, while conducting the buddy checks, it is found that one of your campers is missing. After notifying the venue’s staff, one of the lifeguards on duty spots the camper at the bottom of the pool. 

• Practice your emergency action plan from start to finish.
• Debrief areas where staff worked well together, and where they could improve.

* You can also use our sample In-Service Training Framework as you plan your trainings for the summer.