Aquatic facilities and programs are the perfect opportunity for family fun and great exercise — and proper lifeguard training, best-practices maintenance and a risk management safety culture keep it that way.

“Aquatics require a focused effort by both managers and staff to ensure everyone’s safety,” explains Kyle Saros, PDRMA Risk Management Consultant. And to help everyone stay safe, we offer members a variety of resources to ensure safe water play at pools and beaches and diligent lifeguard monitoring.

• Aquatic Facility Preseason Checklist (981) — This list ensures you check all areas of the facility before the season begins including the manager's office; lifeguard stations; water quality; concessions; and mechanical rooms. Agencies with beaches should review our Beach Risk Management Guidelines (551)...
  

Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come — especially when there’s an opportunity to score cash grants of between $500 and $2,500! The Risk Management Grant and Recognition Program will once again reward PDRMA members this year for the best and/or creative ways to manage or mitigate risk.

“As agencies begin developing their SMART goals and annual activity action items this spring, it’s a great time to think about how a potential grant could help you reach your Risk Management Review goals,” observes Lindsey Robertson, PDRMA Risk Management Consultant. “As you plan, keep an eye out for ideas that could help your agency implement and/or recognize innovative and cost-effective safety projects or programs. Ideas tied to injury prevention, fleet exposure, employment practices and/or pollution are all loss and exposure-based cost drivers that can be the foundation of a grant submission. Email up to two grant applications by Friday, Sept. 1, and see if you have some winning ideas...

It’s springtime, and that means it’s time to play ball — and golf, and soccer, and to picnic...

Spring training is not just for ballplayers — park, facility and recreation staff need training, too...