What Have You Learned?
Take the time to gain industry knowledge
By Bill Plessinger
In 2012, I was a headliner for a special event in Chicago that was expecting upwards of 80,000 spectators. The night before, a massive storm tore through the area, ripping down tents and causing mayhem. The next morning, under a cloudless sky, the sun rose over Lake Michigan, and the weather was beautiful. People were all spit and vinegar, amped up and ready for a day of fun. The fire marshal laid those plans to waste when he ordered the event canceled, citing potential unseen damage caused by the storm. Months of preparation were rendered useless with one short speech.
Photo: © Can Stock Photo / chandlervid85
It is a given in parks and recreation that safety comes first. I was disappointed but understood the decision completely. Safety matters more than profit. Some people who did not agree with that were much more vocal, and some even let their behavior veer into vandalism.
Two Degrees Of Separation
Regarding the current pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control’s job is to provide guidance on how people should conduct themselves to minimize the spread of COVID-19. At the time of this writing, there is no end in sight. There are those who comply and those who rebel. Some are unaffected and unphased, while others are unemployed, sick, and suffering. I ruminate on my place in the world. In my old world, death had the final word. That is no longer the case. Both life and death have more meaning. There are no accidents. Our job is to find the meaning and live a life of purpose, a life in service of others. But while I serve, the numbers of sick and deceased climb higher and higher daily.
Today, more than ever, it is not “us” and “them.” There is no more “us” and “them” because there is no “them.” There is only “us.” We are all in this. Everyone. No one is unaffected. While the list of people I know who have tested positive is small, I found I am two degrees of separation from two more people who tested positive in the last 24 hours.
I remain hopeful that we will all get through this, but know things will never be the same. FBI undercover and counterintelligence agent LaRae Quy wrote, “It’s up to us. We can choose to be resilient and grow from our pain, or we can whimper as we wait for the next storm to hit, and another storm will hit in the future.” The news related to the current pandemic is not good. A second wave is probably coming. It won’t hit the limits of the Black Death, which killed a third of the population in Europe around 1350. One in three. Some countries had mortality rates as high as 50 percent. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 killed between 20- and 50-million people. We could look at the current pandemic as a pause button on life and normal operations. We are all a few months older. Some of us are wiser, but some have gone right back to doing exactly what they were doing before the pandemic, as if it never happened. But it did happen.
Taking Time To Study
With that in mind, what have you learned? Are you a better professional than before this all went down? I made the choice not to waste a good pandemic, and to learn what I could with the time I had. I listened to/watched the following during the time there was no water in my pools. These sites are all free.
AOAP Drowning Prevention Series Webinar A seven-part series hosted by Dr. Justin Sempsrott, MD, FAAEM, co-founder of Lifeguards Without Borders and an emergency-medicine physician.
The Redwoods Group State of Aquatics A webinar every week for 14 weeks, tracking the progress of COVID and how it impacted pools.
Lakeview Aquatics YouTube videos. Hours of interviews with those in the know in aquatics, hosted by Katie Crysdale of Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.
Lifeguard Authority Facebook. Joey Rusnak is always bringing creative ideas to aquatics.
Lifesaving Resources LLC Drowning and aquatic injury-prevention and emergency management in real-world environments.
AOAP COVID-19 Resources Perhaps dated by the time you read this, but great information.
The Mindfulness Series from Tom Griffiths and the Aquatic Safety Research Group. Griffiths has been leading development of improving lifeguarding techniques for over 30 years.
Continue To Plan
I’m happy to say our indoor pool opened less than a week ago. So far, things have been smooth. Our guests are glad to be back, and the staff is cheerful and happy to be working again. The facility has mandatory temperature checks, activity periods with cleaning time in between, and a spot reserved for contact tracing. The lap pool has one swimmer per lane, and the leisure pool has social distancing in effect. We have staff members whose sole responsibility is making sure guests do not get too close to each other. There are plenty of sanitizing stations, all staff members wear masks (guards can take them off when in a lifeguard chair), and patrons have to wear masks upon entering the building. Many amenities have been closed, but aqua-fitness programs start up next week with attendance levels 50 percent of what they were before the pandemic. Modified swim lessons with parents in the water are expected to begin in September. Progress is slow but steady. We are learning from successes and mistakes. It is not perfect. But we live, and we try.
While there are things I miss, there is much to be grateful for. I look forward to sitting with friends and strangers and not worrying about masks, distancing, and contracting the disease. I want to shake hands and hug those I care about without fear. As a manager, I try to find a way forward instead of getting stuck on what went wrong. A lot of the news covers a division among Americans that has not been seen in decades. Not all the facts are out, not all the facts are known, and leadership spends more time pointing fingers than solving problems. A National Drowning Prevention Alliance webinar I watched about a lawsuit made the point that the fault in a recent drowning was not with the lifeguard. The fault was with the plan, or lack thereof. Really, though, where the fault lies is inconsequential. What matters is what we can learn from it. We can never predict. We can only prepare. Our enemy is complacency.
Down the road, in the court of public opinion, some will say we did too much, and some will say we did too little. In my heart we made the right decisions, using science as a guide and compassion as the message. Our only way forward is together.
”Aut inveniam viam aut faciam”- “I'll either find a way or I'll make one.” Hannibal, 179 B.C.
Bill Plessinger is the aquatic manager for the city of Westerville, Ohio. Reach him at william.plessinger@westerville.org.