What to do in the case of an emergency
In the event of a chemical accident at a public pool, a facility operator should call 911 or the local emergency number immediately. Remove anyone who has been exposed from the area. If it is safe to do so, turn off the chemical and circulation pumps. Have an emergency response plan ready that all employees are familiar with. Only allow properly trained people to work with the chlorine/pH control feed and recirculation systems. And, of course, practice regular maintenance of all chemical equipment to prevent failures.
Not only should an emergency response plan be at the ready, it is also important to periodically test equipment and staff. Natural disasters do not always give advanced warning, so in the event of an earthquake, tornado, flood, fire, or routine power outage, it is crucial to know the equipment will shut down as it should.
Secondary safety devices are the need of the hour
All public pool operators should explore the nominal cost and time it takes to install a secondary chemical dosing safety device. Just as other sensitive systems need redundancy, chemical pumps should be carefully monitored and regulated using more than one process. What may be a short-term expense or inconvenience could, in fact, protect the lives and ensure the safety of bathers at an aquatic facility.
Kory Parker is the aquatic division manager at Stratton and Brätt, as well as one of only two national instructors for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Aquatics Facilities Operations (AFO) in the region he serves. He has worked in the aquatics industry for decades, and oversees hundreds of pools each year, including major aquatic centres and waterparks. Parker holds a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University. He can be reached via email at kory@strattonandbratt.com.
