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Lifeguard Fun

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by Rhaegar, Jun 7, 2011.

  1. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    I'm not especially biased one way or the other on this (can see both sides), but I'm curious what other folks think.

    Apparently my 1.5 year old son was nearly kicked out of the pool for running. Granted, a 1.5 year old doesn't actually know what walking or running is. Of course, since he is 1.5, this means that my wife was following right behind him (walking) but not quite within arms reach so the lifeguard got confrontational about it.

    Rules are rules, but my wife was rather put off by this kid yelling and blowing the whistle on a 1-year-old then yelling and threatening the mother. To hear her tell the story he sounds like a good candidate for the gestopo. She was put off more by his attitude and general rudeness. I'm sure it wasn't that bad, but there is a little truth in everything.
     
  2. mamatothree

    mamatothree New Member

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    I would urge anyone who has issues, questions or complaints about the pools to immediately ask to see the pool manager. The association pays a management company to be its eyes at the pool and the managers are responsible for listening to resident's concerns and acting on them appropriately. During the first few weeks it is imperative that expectations and concerns are communicated so measures can be taken to properly train the guards. If you feel your concerns are not being addressed, please call the HOA office during regular business hours or send an email to me at mburns@broadlandhoa.com and we will investigate further.
     
  3. smile2u

    smile2u New Member

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    I feel for your wife! I do think there is a huge difference between a 1.5 year old running and a 10 year old.

    I feel like all the life guards monitor is running. I am tired of hearing the whistle and a kid being told to walk. Not that I don't think it is important, but all the other things I see going on that are much more dangerous and not being addressed makes me fearful that something much more serious than a skinned knee is going to occur.
     
  4. Sasquatch519

    Sasquatch519 Member

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    Disclaimer: I'm not trying to make any statements about your wife or the lifeguard because I don't know either of them.

    It's hard to make a judgement because I feel like I only have your wife's side of the story. Maybe she's right and the lifeguard was going on a power trip? Maybe he/she overreacted because your child was the 17th 1.5 year old to be running so far that day? Or maybe your wife was not paying as close attention to the child as she thought? Or maybe she was just being overly sensitive about the whistling? I don't know, it's tough to make a judgement on just one side of the story.
     
  5. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Nearly kicking a 1.5 yr old kid out of the pool area is rather extreme, wouldn't you think? How would anyone have reacted if they were faced in the same situation? I would think that the lifeguard is overstretching is boundaries a bit just for a 1.5 yr old. If it was a pre-teen/teen, fine. But a toddler?? Geeez...give me a freaking break ---its a bit extreme in my eyes.

    Disclaimer too: Don't know the original poster nor the lifeguard either.
     
  6. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Nobody has the specifics as to what happened except the people that were actually there that day. Let's not all jump to conclusions and assume we know what truly happened, what the circumstances were, how close the child was to the edge of the pool, what had been going on earlier that day, etc.

    That's why, as Maureen stated earlier, it's important to bring these things up to the pool manager 'when they actually occur' so that these issues/situations can be looked into and proper actions taken based on everyone involved being present, etc. That's what we have hired the pool manager to do.

    Let's all stop making judgements on a situation when we don't have the details surrounding it. Now we all know what to do if it happens again, so let's move on. Let's not use this thread to start pointing fingers left and right without the facts.

    Thanks.
     
  7. Sasquatch519

    Sasquatch519 Member

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    Right - this is the point I was trying to make. We don't actually know that the lifeguard nearly kicked the 1.5 year old out, we just know that the wife "thinks" the lifeguard nearly kicked the 1.5 year old out. Maybe her judgement was wrong? We just don't know.


     
  8. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    To be clear, I chose the statement carefully. The lifeguard pointed at the baby and said "If he runs again he's out of here".
     
  9. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    The pools would be devoid of all life if this would be equally applied across the board. Sounds like someone was having a bad day.
     
  10. mikebnllnb

    mikebnllnb Active Member

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    Babies these days!!!! :angryfire: Just no respect for the rules! :mad:
     
  11. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    I agree. It's simply out of control. We should start an angry mob. Anyone have a pitchfork?
     
  12. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    So, the point of this post was to gauge people's reactions to the scenario. I appreciate everyone's feedback. One of the ways in which this could have played out is that other folks may have experienced similar problems would post which would indicate something more systemic. This didn't happen which leads me only to conclude that it was likely an isolated incident and not worth complaining about. Thanks.
     
  13. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Andy, while you might think it's not worth 'complaining' about, I believe it is worth it to bring it up with the pool manager next time either you or your wife frequent that pool. Let the manager know what day and approximate time the incident happened on and a description of the lifeguard. Explain the situation to the manager. Like I mentioned previously, we have a pool manager who has, as one of his responsibilities, to make sure that all lifeguards are performing their jobs correctly and safely. If you and/or your wife felt it strong enough to want to 'discuss' it, I urge you to report it and let the pool manager deal with the situation. It's early in the season and we want to make sure that once schools are out, everyone will have ironed out any cracks in the process and we can all have a wonderful summer and enjoy our great pools.

    Thanks for bringing this forward.
     
  14. volvo_nut

    volvo_nut New Member

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    It looks like a whole new crop of lifeguards this year, at least the pools we use, definitely not the group we got to know last year. Only one of them returned. They were a good bunch, especially during the swim lessons for a few of the families on our street.

    Hopefully the summer will go without any serious safety incidents.
     
  15. signifer

    signifer Member

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    It seems to me the question that isn't being addressed is: what happens if a toddler is running (and they will) and they fall and abrade their hands, knees, or face (and some will)? Will the parent view it as the lifeguard's fault that the lifeguard wasn't enforcing the no running rule? Or will the parent view it as part of life and not hold the lifeguard (or anyone else) responsible?
     
  16. wolf685cln

    wolf685cln New Member

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    Mine has, and it's entirely their fault (or mine in the case of my youngest). Where it becomes a lifeguard issue, for me, is when a potentially life-threatening situation arises and there is no response.

    To cite a specific example: a few years back we were at a pool in the Farm with our three getting ready for lunch. My wife was engaged with the oldest, I with the youngest, and our middle guy had slipped out the back. Just as I realized what happened - he was bee-lining for the deep end without his vest. I take off like a bat outta hell all the while booming like a drill-sargent for him to stop. Of course he didn't and he launched himself, and proceeded to sink like a rock. I lept in, pulled him back up, and all turned out well. At no time did the guard in the high seat over that section respond in any fashion, she sat there looking as bored before as ever. It was little troubling given how that could have turned out. I've made a commitment to be a little more vigilient overall, and if i see dangerous inattention, the manager will be recieving a call to discuss, as has been suggested here.

    This isn't a commentary on the quality of guards in place, just a distant example of what I consider to be a lifeguards main responsibility. To clarify before the pitchforks come out, he was not 'running' per se, more of doing that 'fast walk' that is just slow enough to not incur wrath. I was guilty as charged though, but she didn't bother to call me on it.
     
  17. signifer

    signifer Member

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    Long, long ago and far, far away, when I was about the age the lifeguards at our pools are now, I was a lifeguard (and water safety instructor). I once saved a little kid who wandered into the deep end; I just dove in and got him. I agree with you that that is what the lifeguard is there for and I would throw a fit if a lifeguard didn't notice or take action if a child was in trouble in the water; I would push to have the lifeguard fired. I don't understand how a 'guard would miss a kid running into the water, the motion of people running sticks out and anyone running into the water would be hard to not see.

    However, the no running rule mostly exists so someone doesn't fall and hurt themselves on the concrete (and parents decide to sue), not so they don't zip into the water. The question I was trying to ask was, if a child ran, tripped, and got hurt on the deck, would the lifeguard be viewed as responsible for not sufficiently enforcing the no running rule? If the lifeguards are going to be punished when a child falls while running, I would expect them to enforce the rule; the harsher the punishment, the stricter the enforcement.

    Actually, I think below some age (probably around 10) parents need to accompany their kids and assume all responsibility for their behavior and safety outside of the water. This is certainly our view when we bring our grandkids to the pools, although we watch them in the water as well. I also think that some sort of test should be passed before using a diving board and going in the deep end; when I was young, I had to demonstrate that I could jump off the diving board and swim to the side without struggling to get there.
     
  18. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    In my case, the lifeguard would not be held responsible. It may have been awhile since you had a toddler. They don't really walk, or run, it's more of an excited waddle and at a speed that is matched by his mother walking at a normal stride behind him.

    I'm not sure if you're implying that the original poster (me) did not assume responsibilty for their behavior or did not accompany them. This wasn't the case. Our other kids (5 and 7) were all able to swim by 3 and have no problem with water. This wasn't a safely issue or question of responsibility. It was a question of the prudence and attitude of a lifeguard working at a pool full of the youngest children with no lack of attentive parents looking after them.
     
  19. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    As a lifeguard for a brief time looong ago, the running rule needs to be enforced for all. For little ones, it needs to be of a gentle tone but a tad bit firmer for the parents. Older kids, you need to be a bit more direct. When they run and knock over little ones is when parents get upset and blame the guards.

    The only running allowed is when running after someone who may put themselves in danger.
     
  20. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    @ Curtis, Same thing happened last summer to my boy, but the lifeguard was sitting in a deck chair near the circle part of the Summerbrooke pool. It was a cloudy day and there were a handful of people in the water, and no one in the deep end as I recall. My 9 YO daughter was also seated in a deck chair on the edge of the deep end closest the building. My son just leapt into the water and was rescued by my daughter, the lifeguard did not move a muscle. Very distressing.
     

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