Articles
A Critical Refresher on Ventilations
05.03.2023
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | April 2023
Effective ventilations should be a priority for in-service training of staff. Providing ventilations is difficult and must be practiced frequently to maintain a high level of proficiency and readiness. Provide clear messaging about why staff must train on this skill: “Doctors, nurses, paramedics, fire and first responder personnel must train routinely on ventilations. Lifeguards are firs…
Best Practices When Testing Water
05.03.2023
Taylor Technologies | Wayne Ivusich
Start the swim season with fresh reagents, and replace missing instructions and any broken, faded, or stained equipment. Reagents are perishables. Just like a head of lettuce or the pills in your medicine cabinet, the chemicals in a test kit (or on a test strip pad) will degrade over time, even under optimum conditions. The process of deterioration speeds up though when storage conditions are …
Developing and Enforcing the Rules in Multi-Use Aquatics Venues
05.03.2023
Aquatics International | Rebecca Robledo | April 2023
It’s no wonder that leisure pools are becoming more popular around the country. As aquatics facilities need to attract more and different audiences, it only makes sense to offer features that will appeal to all ages, interests and energy levels. But as leisure pools are becoming the norm, so is the need to stave off chaos. Considering all the different types of programming that can take…
How To Take A Pool or Spa Water Sample
05.03.2023
Taylor Technologies
First, find a location away from return lines. If the pool has a shallow and a deep end, take the sample near the point where the bottom of the pool starts to slope toward the deep end. If the water is of uniform depth, positioning is not as important as long as you are not near any return lines or dead zones like a corner or steps. If testing a spa, make sure the jets and blowers are turned of…
Busting Water Maintenance Myths
02.14.2023
Pool& Spa Marketing | Patricia Fitzgerald | April 2012
There are plenty of misconceptions about water chemistry and testing floating around. Aside from the one about a dye that will detect people peeing in the pool, which can be helpful if swimmers believe it, they all impede our ability to manage water quality. So let’s do some myth busting. Myth 1: Experienced pool/spa operators can tell if there are issues with water quality by simply loo…
Lifeguard Trainers: Now's the Time to Develop Your In-Service Plan
02.14.2023
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | January 2023
Welcome to 2023. Now is a great time to draft an in-service training plan for this summer. For new leaders and trainers, let’s define in-service and several of its categories; lay out a timeline for a swim season that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day; and, within the Readiness category, do a walk-through of how the rescue skills should be broken down within a week and a month. For th…
Lifeguard Training: Getting in the Mix
02.14.2023
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | December 2022
When was the last time you trained with your staff — not led in-service training, but got in the water to perform rescues or take part in a multi-rescuer response team providing CPR? I think it is imperative that leaders participate with staff when it comes to training. Whether it is swim conditioning, water rescues, or land-based activities, you should be in the mix just as much as any …
Pete DeQuincy's Lessons on Mental Health and Why We Should Look Out for Each Other and Talk
12.06.2022
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | November 2022
It’s been two years since I wrote about my struggles with mental health, in response to the escalating mental-health issues occurring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. I was surprised that so many readers reached out to tell me that I wasn’t alone, and that they appreciated I was willing to be vulnerable and share my journey. Some explained to me their personal ex…
Retention Ponds: Drowning Hazards Hidden in Full View
12.06.2022
Aquatics International | John Fletemeyer | October 2022
The objective of this article is to call attention to a danger that often goes unrecognized, and to urge involvement by aquatics professionals to support safeguards against this hazard. Among the types of aquatic environments, it can be argued that retention ponds are the most dangerous. Retention ponds are manmade water bodies engineered and permitted to manage storm drainage. There are two t…
An Argument for Higher-Strength Concrete
07.05.2022
Pool & Spa News | Jonathan Dongell | January 2022
Surprisingly, there are no stipulated minimum acceptable requirements in any standards or codes within the pool/spa industry to regulate the design, materials, strength, durability or method of placement to construct a watertight and durable swimming pool structure. To ensure the promised life span of pools and spas, codes and standards coming from the industry should address these issues. PRO…