Lifeguard 'Testing'

[sam_gordon]

I'm not sure where to put this, so if it needs moved, so be it...

While enjoying ourselves at the CR pool, DD & I were at the top of the slide waiting our turn. Another adult was in front of us.

A guy comes up the stairs, says he's a lifeguard and he needs to conduct a test. He sets down a wrapped towel after pulling something out of it and goes down the slide.

I watch the bottom of the slide and he goes in the pool, comes up (apparently standing) and wipes his face off (like most of us do). Next thing I know I hear the whistle and one of the lifeguards walking around jumps in and swims up to the guy who went down the slide. The "tester" (who went down the slide) was carrying some kind of cloth (couldn't see what). I'm guessing that cloth was a) brought to the top of the slide in the wrapped towel and b) what triggered the lifeguard.

Obviously it was testing if the life guards were paying attention. What I don't get is what having that cloth is supposed to simulate.

On a semi-related note... when I took my turn on the slide, I lost my sunglasses at the bottom. While I was looking around for them I stepped on something sharp. Looking down from above I see something small and dark on the bottom. I try to dive down and feel around (keeping my eyes closed-- no goggles or mask), and can't find it. I surface and step around again, finding it with my foot. I tell my wife I'm stepping on something sharp. Dive again w/no luck.

When I surface, a lifeguard asks me if there was something sharp in the pool. I tell him yes and he asks where. When I turn around they had turned off the water slide and I'm able to dive again (opening my eyes this time) and find the object... a backless pin with the pin up! Fortunately it never punctured my skin. The lifeguard also pointed out my sunglasses lying in the bottom of the pool at the base of the slide.

I gave the pin to the lifeguard, although I should have asked to keep it. I don't even remember what pin it was.

 

[jude&jonah]

I'm not sure if it's the same thing we used to use, but when I used to be a Disney lifeguard we had these cloth things that were in the shape of bodies, and the managers would usually go down the slide and drop one into the pool every few days. They land on the bottom of the pool (if the lifeguard doesn't notice right away) and they look like a body that has sunk to the bottom. It's actually really great that Disney does that- Disney lifeguards are put through really rigorous testing and are very well trained- so much more than companies that use Red Cross I think. Disney doesn't use Red Cross- I can't think of the company name right now- but it was much better training program than I'vve done before.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm not sure if it's the same thing we used to use, but when I used to be a Disney lifeguard we had these cloth things that were in the shape of bodies, and the managers would usually go down the slide and drop one into the pool every few days. They land on the bottom of the pool (if the lifeguard doesn't notice right away) and they look like a body that has sunk to the bottom. It's actually really great that Disney does that- Disney lifeguards are put through really rigorous testing and are very well trained- so much more than companies that use Red Cross I think. Disney doesn't use Red Cross- I can't think of the company name right now- but it was much better training program than I'vve done before.

I've been told pretty much the same thing. Someone heads down the slide with an object that looks like a small child and sees how long it takes the lifeguards to notice it, in the water, or at the bottom of the pool.

 

[bumbershoot]

I was chatting with a lifeguard at Jambo House, and he said that their tests involve a baby doll. So that's probably what it was.

Before our vacation, during DS's swim classes at the YMCA, they'd had some lifeguard tests (they use balls b/c the dolls freak out the little kids far too much), so it was something on my mind at the time, and came up in our conversation.

 

[sam_gordon]

It's possible the thing I saw him carrying sunk to the bottom of the pool and I couldn't see it from where I was.

Thanks

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

Last year whilst at Stomalong Bay me and DD were swimming around the lazy river part and she saw something dark lying at the bottom, she dived down and brought it up to the top,it was quite heavy, then we saw a man on the poolside radio in "its been found by a guest" then straight away a female lifeguard came over and said "Maam can you please move away".They dropped it down again and within 10 seconds another lifeguard blew his whistle and jumped in.I was VERY impressed, and felt VERY reasurred

 

[Elise79]

Last year at BLT one afternoon they did a drill of removing an injured swimmer from the pool. They had the extra lifeguards there at the time so the pool stayed open but it was interesting to watch from our balcony!