Geneseo Park District Aquatic Team in the lead image: L to R – Henna Griffin, Assistant Manager;
Riley Nelson, Assistant Manager; Nathaniel Hines, Recreation Program Specialist; Morgan Snell,
Assistant Manager; and Evie Wilson, Assistant Manager.
Dive into Safety this Summer
Aquatics programs are a mainstay for many PDRMA members and their communities, offering family fun and exercise for thousands of visitors each season — and they present a complex safety task for agencies!
Sandi Rease, Office Manager/Aquatics Director at Genoa Park District, knows how big a task it is. “We had about 13,000 patrons visit us during our 2024 aquatic season, and for a town of 5,700, that’s a big number!” The aquatics facility Rease manages includes a six-lane lap pool, a zero-depth wading pool with a slide and a splash pad, and, she adds, “The infamous ‘toilet bowl slide.’”
Nathaniel Hines, Recreation Program Specialist, and Jackie Beach, Recreation/Aquatics Supervisor, both at Geneseo Park District, can relate. Their aquatics facilities average approximately 20,000 visits per season.
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| Ian Wickens-Walther, Genoa Park District |
“Our biggest challenge is managing our different attractions,” Hines explains. “While we’re fortunate to offer so much to our community, each attraction has its own set of risks.”
“Coordinating coverage, ensuring visibility and keeping staff vigilant across the entire facility can be complex — but it’s crucial for safety,” Beach adds.
Hines and Beach place an emphasis on building a strong, positive culture with their team, hosting outside-of-work staff activities like swim, bowling and movie nights. “That connection translates into trust, accountability and consistency at work,” Hines says. “Everyone understands that while we have fun, their jobs include important safety responsibilities.” By building that camaraderie, Hines and Beach find all their employees — about 75 total — really buy into the agency’s safety culture.
Rease finds that with so many patrons and different aquatic facilities, she relies on “training — lots of training — responsible and reliable managers, and communication” for a safe aquatic season.
“I have four managers (including myself), and three of us are Lifeguard Instructors. Last year, I had 21 guards, four slide attendants, two admissions and two concessions employees.” This year she is looking to have about 26-30 guards as well as her “awesome” three-person maintenance staff, plus a pool-specific specialist.
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| Avery Ciccione, Genoa Park District |
Hines agrees with the importance of training, and one of his tips is to plan regular, in-service trainings that simulate emergency scenarios at the various attractions and/or areas of the facility, so staff can practice using their skills in the different environments.
“I also use a lot of daily checklists,” Rease adds. “There are opening and closing checklists, a 30 Second Site Safety Walk Through and a daily safety checklist. Since I work with teenagers, my goal is for them to be independent and know what they need to do without someone constantly reminding them. We also have weekly in-services where we address any staff concerns.”
The Biggest Challenge
Among the challenges Rease cites, the biggest is staff care. “This is a crazy stressful job that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, but I work with kids and young adults, and I just want them to be mentally prepared and healthy for a successful season.” She stocks healthy snacks to keep them fueled, Flavor Ice for the hot days and always adds a bit of fun to in-service days.
“We focus on fostering a strong team culture, for the same reason,” Hines notes. “When people genuinely care about one another, they collaborate more effectively and are better able to perform at their highest level.”
TOP TIPS:
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| EMS Training Night at Genoa |
Rease, Hines and Beach offer these tips for building a safe aquatic season at your agency:
- Be vigilant about your checklists and keep them updated
- Communicate with — and train — your staff.
- Build a strong team culture.
- Ensure training and certificates are up to date.
- Plan regular, realistic in-service training.
- Have the right tools and equipment, all in good working condition.
- Model accountability from the top down.
PDRMA RESOURCES
One quick and easy thing to accomplish before your season opens is ordering your lifeguard vision screening kits online. Download our Lifeguard Vision Screening Program and Online Account (330) document for instructions on how to request your kits from Vizual Edge and ensure your lifeguards are ready to keep patrons safe.
Check out these other PDRMA documents and videos to ensure summer safety in pools and at beaches.
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