Whatever the current statistics, even one drowning death is too much.  Sadly the number of drowning deaths continues to grow each year.  For several years now, risk management insurance companies underwriting for the YMCA have begun to implement stronger enforcement of safety swim testing to all their swimmers.  The main purpose of swim testing is to ensure the safety of the children and to prevent drowning.  The main idea of a lifeguard should be focused more on one who helps to prevent accidents rather than on one who responds to an accident.  With vigilant enforcement and focused lifeguards the numbers of preventable drowning can remain relatively low.

Every YMCA with a pool should have an established swim testing policy and the policies should be plainly published in the pool areas, and even available on their local web site.  It’s also recommended to have a lifeguard available to test swimmers at any time during normal pool hours who is not also responsible for guarding the pool at the same time.

The swimmer should be tested and labeled so that they are easily identified as to their level of swimming aptitude.  There are currently a handful of products that help in identifying tested swimmers to their level of swimming competence.  Safe-Wise Consulting, LLC¹ recommends using safety neck bands more than wrist bands because wrist bands are harder to see when hands and arms are kept underwater.

Once the swimmer has been tested, they should them be assigned the correct level safety neck band.  The results should be documented neatly, and the records should be accessed quickly and easily.  The proper color safety neck band should be provided for the tested swimmer at check-in and then returned to the front desk when the swimmer is leaving the swim area.

The swim testing policies should be enforced 100% of the time for all youth groups, and especially for special events such as day camps and pool parties where you may have a lot of kids who are not YMCA members, and have not had much experience with swimming.

The Redwoods Group², a risk management service provider of many YMCA’s advocates several policies, a few of which are listed here:
• All children must be evaluated, even if they are going to stay in the shallow end of the pool.
• The shallow and deep end of the pool must be separated by a floating safety line.
• Those who do not pass the test may not use the deep end of the pool at all, and must stay within the shallow end with certain conditions
• All tested children must wear the appropriate safety neck band indicating in which section of the pool they may swim and what level of supervision they require.

To read more about some recommended test and policies, click on the references found below.

Able Advertising has been a provider for MJ Safety Neck bands for several years now.  Our plastic color-coded "breakaway” neck bands were designed by a YMCA aquatics professional.  Use these bands around your swimmers necks after they have been properly identified after swim testing. 

Green bands are given to deep water safe swimmers who have no restrictions.  Yellow bands are given to intermediate swimmers who have some restrictions.  Red bands are given to swimmers who are restricted to shallow ends only.

Click the link below to go to our 2009 YMCA Summer Camp Products.  Then look for our 2009 YMCA LIFEGUARD PRODUCTS category to find our MJ safety neck bands.  Be sure to order enough of every color to fit every swimmer at your pool.  The goal is safety first.  Be proactive this year, and protect everyone at your pool.  Have a great and safe summer in 2009.

Able Advertising

References:_______________________________________________________________________________
1 Safe-Wise Consulting, LLC: Who’s In The Pool?

2 The Redwoods Group