Jefferson park and recreation director Vicky Lautner was happy after a drowning drill at the Jefferson municipal pool last Wednesday afternoon. The guards knew exactly what to do when an unconscious “victim” with a neck injury needed rescuing. “What the drill showed was that our guards are ready to do what they need to do,” Lautner said.
The Jefferson police department and Greene County Emergency Medical Services also participated in the drill. “Dennis Morlan (of EMS) was impressed with how well the guards handled it,” Lautner said. Two of the guard on duty, Thea Ballard and Karter Ruzicka, had the victim on a back board and covered with a towel to prevent shock before the ambulance arrived. “He was really impressed with the guards’ knowledge,” Lautner continued about Morlan.
The guards have weekly in-service meetings throughout the summer to keep their skills fresh, but this was the first drowning drill organized by pool supervisor Simeon Lang.
Lautner said she and Lang learned a lot from the drill. She said that although there’s been talk of reducing the number of guards at the pool, the drill showed it takes four trained guards on duty. She explained that if it takes at least two people to get a victim with a neck injury out of the water, with a third person needed depending on the victim’s size. There needs to be someone to call for help and to open the pool gates for emergency responders, and there needs to be someone to deal with everyone else at the pool. The guards clear the pool of all swimmers, but they need to be supervised.
Lautner and Lang plan to have a drowning drill every summer, hopefully earlier in the summer than this year.
There hasn’t been a drowning incident at the pool for many years. “We’ve been lucky, and we’ve got very observant guards. Of the kids who are at the pool a lot, the guards know who can swim and who can’t, and they’ll keep the non-swimmers out of deep water,” Lautner said.
“The pool is run very well. We do what we can to make it a fun, safe place for everyone,” she said.
