Pool attendants and rescue swimmers often supervise up to 1,000 people. The FLNS (Luxembourg Swimming Federation) has trained nearly 1,000 people since last September, with 90% getting their first rescue certificate.
The more people have basic knowledge the more accidents can be reduced, says Frank Romani, president of the FLNS’s rescue commission. If a swimmer sees another person requires help in a deep pool, they should loudly call for help, Romani says.
The number of required pool attendants does not depend on the number of visitors. The ITM regulations stipulate that their should be at least one attendant per pool. If there are slides, diving platforms or other risk factors, there should be more rescue personnel present.
The outdoor pool in Dudelange, for instance, did a risk analysis at the beginning of the season. This resulted in a basic requirement of four supervisors at all times. But this is a minimum, says Romani. And a rescue swimmer cannot replace a supervisor.
Rescue swimmers generally have their 2nd rescue certificate, while a swimming supervisor has undergone a three-year training period. Anyone interested in the job can work towards a rescue certificate.
Even if children are briefly submerged while playing and ingest water, these “harmless” situations can lead to water in their lungs.
“When children get water down the wrong tube, they notice and start coughing. In most cases, the water they have breathed in will come out pretty quickly. In very infrequent cases however, some of this water can remain in the lungs and potentially damage them,” says Romani.
Symptoms include excessive coughing, chest pains and flat breathing. Early on, the child will be very agitated, then later become apathetic or tired. They can also develop a fever.
If any of these symptoms are present, it’s important to go to hospital. The same goes when a child was submerged for a longer period and is not showing symptoms.
Video report in Luxembourgish:
