Here’s LVAC’s new lifeguard plan

The Southern Nevada Health District has approved a lifeguard staffing plan for Las Vegas Athletic Club after closing their lap pools in August.

Previously, LVAC was granted a waiver to monitor lap pools electronically, along with other gyms in the Valley in 2020. The waiver was revoked in June after the death of a 58-year-old woman who drowned at the LVAC’s North Decatur location on Feb. 4.

The new lifeguard plan was approved by SNHD on Wednesday and will require in-person lifeguards, which LVAC has been training and hiring for since early September.

LVAC President Chad Smith said LVAC aims to reopen pools within the next one to three weeks, but will vary location-to-location due to hiring and training. Lifeguard training is underway this week.

New pool hours will be Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon. During closed hours, a 4-foot stanchion will be placed and front desk staff will monitor the pool via live feed and must respond within 30 seconds if a customer goes beyond the barrier.

There will be one “lifeguard on duty” during open pool hours who will roam the area or remain in the lifeguard stand, according to the lifeguard staffing plan. The lifeguard on duty must be prepared to respond within 20 seconds if an incident occurs or be able to identify any health hazards and mitigate them.

Lifeguards will rotate every hour or less and will be off rotation for a minimum of 15 minutes, according to the plan. During rotation, a “relief lifeguard” will initiate the rotation while still surveilling the pool.

Active lifeguards will have a rescue tube and hip pack, as well as access to a ring buoy, backboard, first aid kit and an automated external defibrillator. All lifeguards must be a Lifeguard Pro, American Red Cross certified or equivalent, alongside being CPR and AED certified through Lifeguarding or Shallow Water Lifeguarding Certification.

A “lifeguard supervisor” will also be on duty during open pool hours. The lifeguard supervisor will manage other lifeguards, ensure they arrive to their shift, rotate, conduct safety checks prior to pool opening and report them to management.

Lifeguards will receive a 12-month training curriculum from SWW Aquatics, that is American Heart Association compliant, such as safety precautions, head, neck and back pain, how to operate a backboard, among others. Lifeguards will have a minimum of three in-person skills audits each year.

Contact Emerson Drewes via email at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.