YMCA pool to use new safety protection system

Swimmers and swim class participants at the Simi Valley Family YMCA now have an extra layer of swim safety protection.

Instead of the lifeguard being the only eyes and ears at the indoor pool, the YMCA has installed a system where staff members are automatically notified during pool emergencies. No other public pool in the area currently uses this system.

Robert Martin, Simi Valley Family YMCA aquatic director, wanted to make certain the main desk staff could recognize the lifeguard’s request for help in an emergency so it can determine whether to call paramedics. The traditional method is for the lifeguard to blow a whistle, but in many cases, the staff could not hear the whistle.

The YMCA installed a “safety turtle” alarm system. A base unit was installed in the pool lobby, while a small, turtle-shaped band was secured on the lifeguard’s rescue tube, which is carried at all times. As soon as a rescue is in progress, the lifeguard’s rescue tube hits the water and the alarm immediately sounds in the pool lobby, notifying staff that a rescue is in progress.

The alarm was already used once at the YMCA and worked perfectly.

For more information about the next safety program, please call Martin at (805) 583-5338.