Waterpark Safety Depends On Logistics, Training, And Maintenance
Protecting guests is a complex, year-round effort that requires dedication in-season and off
By Jefferey Spivey
Photos: Washtenaw County, Michigan Parks & Recreation Commission
Waterpark safety is often positioned as the responsibility of a particular group—families must take precautions to look after their children, lifeguards must oversee a certain pool or feature, and so on. But first and foremost, safety is actually a joint effort between parkgoers and staff members, or rather, a tacit agreement that guests affirm simply by showing up.
“Once they enter the park, there’s that insinuated responsibility that, if you’re visiting the park, you’re going to be following the rules that we put in place,” says Rhonda Bouma, Park Superintendent for Rolling Hills Water Park in Washtenaw County, Mich.
That being said, patrons may have the easier job in the partnership. Waterparks oversee a round-the-clock effort, in season and off, to ensure every guest is protected.
Safety Through A Logistical Lens
One of the critical components of keeping waterparks safe is staffing, which has been a challenge for individual facilities and parks departments across the board.
“I think everybody in aquatics kind of feels the same pain. We all know what we’re going through this time of year,” Bouma says. For Rolling Hills, a full staff totals 180, 60 of whom are lifeguards; there were just 25 lifeguards on staff for the truncated 2021 season.
The park can accommodate up to 2,300 guests at any given time, but there must be one lifeguard per 75 patrons. Additionally, even if there are enough lifeguards, the park still needs the right headcount for other park functions, like cashiering and maintenance.
“It all kind of has to have this nice, equalized balance of staff, which is something that we’re struggling to get,” Bouma says, adding that, despite the park’s capacity, maximizing it isn’t the goal. “Even though we can have 2,300 people, is that the safest environment?”
Less manpower may mean reduced operating hours or closed features to guarantee proper coverage. However, it isn’t only guest safety that’s factored into that decision.
“One of the things we do is try not to overextend ourselves,” says Jeff Miller, who works alongside Bouma as Rolling Hills Park Manager. To keep functions running smoothly, the park may reduce capacity below what it can accommodate, as a safeguard to prevent chaos.
Miller also stresses that staffing challenges require advance planning to identify days when the park may need to close or cut back. Rolling Hills uses its employees’ availabilities to build schedules anywhere from 10 to 20 days out. The abridged schedule can then be communicated to the public early enough to avoid confusion or disruption of visitors’ plans.
Staffing aside, however, it’s thorough training and preparation that help lifeguards and park attendants keep everything under control.
Balancing Rescues, Assists, And Rule Enforcement
At the root of waterpark safety is comprehensive knowledge.
“It starts with the staff and educating the staff about certain issues that could happen,” says Kamar Williams, Aquatics Supervisor for Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation in Florida. The department is home to two facilities—Calypso Bay and Coconut Cove.
This sentiment is echoed by Bouma, whose staff undergoes a robust training schedule prior to opening day. In addition to Red Cross certifications, there are in-house classes, skills trainings, and emergency-action plan training, during which first responders walk lifeguards through real-world scenarios. Once the park opens, training is still offered on a weekly basis throughout the summer.
“The constant training, the constant scenarios give them the confidence and the know-how,” Bouma says. “It’s a big point of focus for us.” And rightly so. During the season, lifeguards take part in many assists and rescues.
Rolling Hills has several features, including a main pool, wave pool, children’s activity pool, lazy river, five water slides, and spray grounds that were installed in 2018. The majority of incidents happen in the wave pool, where swimmers are caught off-guard by the waves or overestimate their swimming capabilities. Still, problems may arise in any area of the waterpark, including the children’s pool, where small kids may venture out too far.
Beyond the work that’s most obviously associated with lifeguarding, there’s also the ongoing work of ensuring guests comply with park policies.
“It’s a lot of rule enforcement, to prevent situations where they have to make rescues,” Williams says. At both Calypso Bay and Coconut Cove, guests are introduced to the rules as soon as they step onto the grounds. Large signs outlining behavioral expectations hang at the admission booths. Williams stresses that, at all parks, these signs should be easily seen and available in multiple languages.
He also adds, “When they’re buying their tickets, the cashier staff will kind of advise them.”
However, in a space that encourages fun, guests can get carried away and may need reminders. Among the biggest issues is running, as parkgoers might slip on wet surfaces or on features like slides. Even on the spray grounds, intervention is needed to ensure guests of all ages and abilities can play. But in enforcing the rules, what matters most are clarity, compassion, and context.
“We do encourage staff to share with patrons why a rule is in place so that they have an understanding, and that we’re not just being the fun police,” Bouma says. “If the rule is in place, it’s for their safety.”
Employees at the Palm Beach County waterparks take a similar approach.
“If we’re polite, we’re helpful, we give them options to enjoy the facility in a safe way,” Williams said, “that’s useful.”
This level of care is always necessary—even when patrons aren’t present.
Off-Season Maintenance For In-Season Success
Before waterparks open to guests, a considerable preventive-maintenance operation assures physical safety for all.
“This equipment is expensive, so we need to make sure that we’re getting the best life out of it and taking care of it the best way we can,” Bouma says. Rolling Hills was built in 1991, and many of the original features remain in place. Bouma and Miller assess the departmental budget each year to determine replacement repairs and identify the degree of effort needed to keep all structures in working order. In addition to safety, the objective is to avoid closing any part of the park while guests are present.
In-season, the park’s maintenance staff does its most intensive work before opening.
At Calypso Bay and Coconut Cove, where the season starts in mid-March to accommodate Spring Break, maintenance is a full-time duty.
Williams says, “During the offseason, we have our in-house general maintenance mechanics visit our parks five days a week.” He adds that larger repair projects, like retiling and switching out pumps or motors, happen in the off-season as well. Once the parks open, the crew is mostly able to forecast when replacements or repairs should be made, avoiding unnecessary shutdowns or restrictions.
Fully operational features are the key in providing an enjoyable and memorable experience. But so is planning for the future. For waterparks currently under construction, Bouma suggests they strategize for more than they need right now.
“If you plan on facility growth,” she says, “you have to plan for that early because, otherwise, you’re going to be left doing a lot of retro construction to change things or add bathrooms or add space at your concession stand.”
Even with fewer significant tasks, it’s never too early to think ahead. The waterpark season usually winds down around Labor Day, but Williams says outreach to next year’s crop of lifeguards and staff begins in November, with onboarding happening during the winter.
In the throes of this season’s obstacles, the complexities of the next one are already in view.
“That’s another challenge, trying to get high school and college students to start thinking about summer in February when we do all of our hiring,” Bouma says. “By the time they start thinking about a summer job, it’s too late to join the waterpark.”
Jefferey Spivey is a writer based in Urbandale, Iowa. Reach him at jeffereyspivey@gmail.com.