Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Kimball Public Swimming Pool lifeguards for the 2016 season are, from front left, Natasha Selves, Kaylyn Nelson, Kennedy Lewis, Lila Moore, Madison Wynne and Keaton Fisher. Back row from left are manager Jessica Hanks, JoDell Schulte, Kaden Adrian, Raelynn Hinton, Shelby Vogel, Paycen Harroun, Devin Gardener and manager Regan Hinton. Lifeguards not pictured include Trevor Ryschon, Logan Stahla and Grant Hickman. Director Carla Goranson said that while this photo shows the camaraderie of the team, they all take their jobs seriously and make safety their first priority, often heading off an issue before it becomes a problem.
Kimball pool managers, Jessica Hanks standing left and Regan Hinton, standing right, watch as Raelyn Hinton, in pool left, and Natasha Selves, in pool right, practice rescuing a youngster from the little pool during the recent rescue training.
The Kimball Public Swimming Pool is fully staffed for the year, and Director Carla Goranson is happy with her guards, though many are new.
"I have never had this many new guards," she said. "That could make you nervous, but these kids are so attentive and they act like they are seasoned guards."
The crew recently had a rescue training. The guards were broken up into groups to work on their rescue techniques.
"The new guards were nervous," Goranson said. "Before the ambulance crew got there they were fine tuning their skills. When the ambulance crew got there we started out with the returning guards and we went through a drowning scenario."
Goranson said the guards were required to go through their emergency action plan while the ambulance crew prepares for rescue and transport.
The training was successful for both the guards and the ambulance crew, as two of the EMTs had not been able to attend the training previously and one was new.
"The EMTs get to see what it takes to get them out of the water, protecting the c-spine," she added. "And the lifeguards get to see what it takes to get them packaged and ready to go and life sustaining efforts started."
While the local pool is able to handle up to 200 swimmers with just a few guards, they go above and beyond those requirements for safety.
"I am very proud of this crew, they take their jobs very seriously. I have two great managers, Jessica Hanks and Regan Hinton. They are very detail-oriented and very, very, very safety-oriented," Goranson said. "These are kids, or very young adults, taking a job to save what is most precious in your life – your child."
Goranson added that practicing good water safety is important for all swimmers, and that begins with the warning to never swim alone.
"Always swim with a friend and never swim impaired, whether that is with alcohol, illegal or legal drugs," she said.
