Increased lifeguard training and new supervision rules for Splash Palace

Invercargill City Council has increased lifeguard training and implemented parental supervision rules at the Splash Palace public swimming pool following the near drowning of a four-year-old girl during a pool party attended by large number of adults and children.

The incident has prompted Invercargill City Council to make changes regarding supervision during large events at the pool.

As reported in New Zealand's The Southland Times, “an off-duty fireman was at Splash Palace in October 2023 when he noticed the girl lying face down near the bottom of the leisure pool.

“He retrieved the young girl and got her to the side of the pool, and when there was no pulse, he assisted a lifeguard to administer CPR, resuscitating the child.”

The four-year-old girl returned to normal activities the following day.

According to The Southland Times an onlooker said the “terrifying incident” took place at a “free pool party” with lots of adults and children in the leisure pool.

The Invercargill City Council said there were 13 lifeguards on duty at Splash Palace that afternoon, with three lifeguards patrolling and supervising the leisure pool.

At the time, the council’s aquatic services manager Stephen Cook praised the firefighter’s efforts and said the lifeguard team carried out the duties they were trained for.

Following a review of the October incident, Cook confirmed changes had been implemented at Splash Palace which now has a new requirement for large event bookings to provide additional parental or adult supervision.

Children under seven are still required to be supervised by an adult in the pool within an arm’s reach at all times. However, before the October incident, there was no requirement for parental supervision at pool events for children aged seven or over.

Cook this week advised “we now require a 1:10 ratio for adults to children for large group bookings, in addition to direct supervision of under 7-year-olds.”

Also, in-house training for the lifeguards was now taking place more frequently.

All Splash Palace lifeguards were required to have a certain level of competency and qualifications including a pool lifeguard practising certificate and first aid certificate. They also had regular training which was continually renewed and refreshed, Cook said.

Cook shared that since the October incident, Splash Palace lifeguards have undergone a refresher training programme from Drowning Prevention Auckland along with lifeguard in-house training increased from quarterly to monthly.

Drowning Prevention Auckland was formed in 1994 with a vision of an Auckland free from drowning achieved through the development of our water competence and changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.

The Southland Times also reports Cook noting that guidance as to lifeguard staffing levels was taken from Poolsafe, an independent quality management scheme to which Splash Palace was accredited. Cook said that Poolsafe required a ratio of one lifeguard to every 50 pool users.

More information on Drowning Prevention Auckland

Image. Credit: Splash Palace/ Invercargill City Council December 2023 (unrelated to the drowning incidient in October 2023)