Practice Note No. 15 - Water Safety - Division of Local Government ...

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5.2 BeachesIn determining the appropriate standard of training of those who perform the life saving function on beaches,councils will need to take into account the following:Øthe number of council employed or contracted lifeguards on duty at any one time. Further informationabout this is provided in Section 6 Number of Trained Water Safety PersonnelØwhether or not a volunteer surf life saving club is on duty. Because of their voluntary membership, itcannot be expected that all members of a club have the same standards of training. However, thecouncil should ensure that the club can provide an appropriate number of personnel on duty who havethe minimum standards of training set out belowA council should consider as a minimum standard of training the following:Ø where the life saving function is carried out by a council employed lifeguard or contracted lifeguard -a current Gold Medallion (Advanced Life Saving) from Surf Life Saving NSW or equivalent awardØwhere the life saving function is carried out by a volunteer life saving club - a current Surf BronzeMedallion from Surf Life Saving NSWØregardless of who carries out the life saving function, a current first aid certificate from:- Australian Red Cross- St John Ambulance Australia- Surf Life Saving NSW- The Royal Life Saving Society Australiaor an equivalent award from a training provider approved by WorkCover NSW.Ø regardless of who carries out the life saving function, a current advanced resuscitation certificate,which includes the use of oxygen from:- Australian Red Cross- National Heart Foundation- St John Ambulance Australia- Surf Life Saving NSW- The Royal Life Saving Society AustraliaThe certificate/award specify the type of equipment the holder has been trained on. Councils should ensurethat water safety personnel are trained to use the particular oxygen equipment provided.Practice Note 15: Water Safety9
6. NUMBER OF TRAINED WATER SAFETY PERSONNELThe number of trained personnel that need to be on duty to adequately deal with emergencies will depend onthe circumstances of each swimming pool, beach and other waterway under council’s control. These includethose factors which need to be considered in the development of a risk management strategy or any otherstrategy concerned with water safety (see Section 4 A Risk Management Approach).The limitations of one person being on duty should be carefully considered. For example, the area may notbe under visual surveillance during a rescue or when the person is carrying out first aid. The AustralianResuscitation Council recommends two trained personnel as the minimum number necessary to provideeffective bag-valve-mask oxygen resuscitation.Where only one person is on duty, the council should ensure that emergency support is available andarrangements are in place so that it can be immediately summoned. The support might consist of communitymembers who have appropriate training, or an appropriate emergency service such as ambulance.Having considered all relevant factors, if a council decides not to staff a facility or to staff it only at certaintimes, it should consider implementing other safety precautions. In the case of a public swimming pool, thismight include the following:Øproper fencingØa warning notice including resuscitation instructions as prescribed under the Swimming Pools Act1992 prominently displayed in the vicinity of the pool. These signs are available from variousorganisations such as The Royal Life Saving Society Australia (see Section 11 Further Resources forcontact details)Practice Note 15: Water SafetyØ procedures in place to deal with emergencies, including a quick and direct means of communication toemergency services7. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIESWater safety personnel need to have equipment and facilities which enable them to respond effectively toemergency situations. The type of equipment and facilities will depend on the circumstances of eachswimming pool, beach and waterway under council’s control.As a minimum, a council should consider providing the following equipment and facilities:Ø rescue aids. In the case of public swimming pools, these are a reaching pole, a throwing aid such as arope or flotation device, a spine board with straps, and a spinal collar. In the case of beaches, these area rescue board or another kind of flotation device such as a rescue tube10
Page 1: PRACTICE NOTE NO.15December 1998Wat
Page 4 and 5: 1. INTRODUCTIONThis Practice Note r
Page 6 and 7: Ø Pricing and Costing for Council
Page 8 and 9: 4. A RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO WA
Page 10 and 11: 5.1 Public swimming poolsA number o
Page 14 and 15: Øa first aid kit and a first aid r
Page 16 and 17: Concern has been expressed by membe
Page 18 and 19: National Heart Foundation (NSW)Leve
Page 20 and 21: APPENDIX 1REGULATORY ACTIVITIESPowe
Page 22 and 23: APPENDIX 2CHANGE ROOM OPTIONSSwimmi
Page 24: Øpool staff to be available to acc

Practice Note No. 15 - Water Safety - Division of Local Government ...

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