4 Tips to Improve Your Company Emergency Response

In lifeguarding, just like in life, things don't always go exactly as planned. Facilities everywhere should have an emergency action plan in place that includes emergency procedures for you to follow. In every situation there are hundreds of variables, making each scenario unique. Variables include the weather conditions, potentially dangerous marine life, and the fitness level of the victim among many others. While it is impossible to prepare for every emergency, there are several things that you can do to identify and react when things don't go exactly as planned.

Know The Guests In Your Area: When you are scanning the water make mental notes of the type of guests you are observing. Be sure you are looking for clues about each patron's fitness and their strength as a swimmer. While you are still responsible for scanning your entire area, knowing certain attributes about your guests will help, should an emergency arise. As you are providing a service to the patrons in your area, do not become distracted by surveying other areas of the facility.

Don't Panic! Keep Your Cool: In every emergency there is a potential for things to go very poorly, but it is up to you to respond and provide the best care possible. As a lifeguard, you are employed to respond to high pressure scenarios. Losing your cool or your concentration in these situations will only lead to greater problems. That is why it is very important that you keep your cool and trust your training and skill level. If you are unsure of yourself, alert your superiors immediately so they can provide the proper coaching and training that you need.

Call for Help and Alert Other Lifeguards on Duty: Any time you need to leave the chair; other guests are put at greater risk. When you have to respond to an emergency scenario, make sure you alert the other lifeguards on duty so they can assist in scanning your area. If the emergency requires more than one person to rescue the victim, make sure to request backup as soon as possible. Also, if the victim's injury is too severe for any care that you can provide, be sure to request the assistance of a medical professional. At no point should you attempt to provide care that you were not properly trained to provide. This can cause the victim greater injury or lead to death and can force you to face unfortunately legal ramifications.

Identify and React To Each Scenario As Soon As Possible: Any scenario that you face will force you to identify the problem. As each scenario is unique, you may determine that there are several problems. Regardless of what you determine the problem to be, it is important that you take action as soon as the problem is identified and the most effective response is determined. In an emergency, each second counts which is why it is imperative that you are a good problem solver.

Just like it is impossible to determine every situation you will face over the course of a day, it is also impossible to predict every emergency scenario that you will face on the lifeguard stand. The 4 tips listed above will help you to identify and/or prevent unfortunate results in emergency

situations. Use the tips listed above to be ready next time an emergency arises while you are on the stand.

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