ARAb StAtES diSMAyEd At WESt'S cOMPlAcENcy - Kuwait Times

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
LOCAL
Number of lifeguards
depends on visitors
Swimming pools in Kuwait ready for summer season
By Nawara Fattahova
KUWAIT: For the children to feel safe while
swimming, it is necessary to have a lifeguard
at the swimming pool. Some parents
don’t feel safe to let their children swim
and play in the swimming pool alone, so
they stay with them all the time while in
the pool. However, if there were to be a lifeguard,
they would feel more comfortable
to let their children swim alone.
There is no special regulation indicating
a specific number of lifeguards to be present
at the swimming pools. Each club or
place is providing a certain number of
these guards, and the number differs from
one place to another. Certain hotels do not
have any lifeguards. The clubs and utilities
of the Touristic Enterprises Company are
the most popular as far as swimming pools
are concerned. Captain Essam Badawi, a
swimming trainer and supervisor of the lifeguards
at the Sha’ab Sea Club, explained
that lifeguards’ presence is important at all
the swimming pools, especially those for
children.
“The number of visitors is crucial to
deciding how many lifeguards should be
available. The number ranks between one
to four lifeguards, depending upon the
occupancy of the pool. For instance, when
its high tide, most people go to the beach
and swim in the sea, leaving the pools
almost empty. During the low tide, the
pools are crowded. Also, during the weekends,
the pools are more occupied than
during the weekdays, so the number of lifeguards
is higher,” he told the Kuwait Times.
The lifeguards are well-trained and certified.
“The guards are educated and they
speak English. They have to concentrate
and deal with the children. Even if parents
are with them, we are still responsible for
them. Guiding the children is more important
than rescuing. The guards give people
and especially the children directions on
how to swim, which is more important than
saving. The guard doesn’t have to wait till
there is a drowning person or somebody
calls for help to act. Prevention is always
better,” added Badawi.
The lifeguards are always present at the
Club. “Even if the swimming pool is closed,
the club remains open. So there should be
a guard to watch the swimming pool, as
sometimes children may try to jump in the
pool and their parents may not come to
know. We have to guard the pools and tell
them it is forbidden to swim in it in this
period,” he stated.
The availability of lifeguards is basic
requirement for the swimming pools. “In all
swimming pools of the company, we have
lifeguards available all the time. We have a
budget to employ more guards in case the
need arises. At the Sha’ab Club, we didn’t
have any accidents, yet we remain careful.
Also, on days when the pool is used for
women, we have women guards who
remain present. At our club, there are two
guards as the pool is not so crowded, while
at the Messilah Beach, for instance, there
are more than 10 guards,” he further said.
The water condition of the swimming
pools is also very important. Badawi
explained, “We always take that we have
clean water. Every month the inspectors
from the Ministry of Health come to run a
check, and sometimes they come randomly
or once a week. They have special instruments
to measure the state of the water, so
sometimes we actually invite them to check
out the quality.”
The hotels are the other places that provide
swimming facilities. The Crowne Plaza
Hotel has three lifeguards watching two
swimming pools and they have never experienced
an accident at the pool. The Palms
Beach Hotel and Spa also has two swimming
pools, one for the adults and one for
the children. They have three to four lifeguards
for both the swimming pools. The
Hilton Kuwait Resort has five lifeguards for
two swimming pools, besides having
guards at the beach.
Surprisingly a four star hotel that is not
along the beach has one swimming pool
but without any lifeguard. The employee in
charge noted that they did not face any
accidents or problems ever, and that the
pool is never crowded, so they do not provide
a lifeguard. They have also put up a
sign that the guest would be personally
responsible if he chooses to swim.
The lifeguards are well-trained and certified. “The
guards are educated and they speak English. They
have to concentrate and deal with the children.
Even if parents are with them, we are still responsible
for them. Guiding the children is more important
than rescuing. The guards give people and
especially the children directions on how to
swim, which is more important than saving.
A child enjoying her swim