By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
While lifeguards and staff are lined up for the opening of the Wetlands Waterpark later this month, Great Bend Recreation Commission Aquatics Director Megan Hammeke recently acquired a new tool for continued training.
The City of Great Bend and Great Bend Rec split the cost for new, battery-powered mannequins to practice CPR.
"When I turn the switch on, the mannequins will light up as my guards pump," said Hammeke. "It tells them if their compressions are deep enough. As they pump "blood," the lights will light up the heart, chest and all the way up to the brain so they can see that they're pumping and giving breaths correctly."
Hammeke said there is a metronome clicking sound available on the mannequins that assists with proper compressions. The sound is an option that can be turned off for a more “real life” practice. Lifeguard certification participants will have adult and baby-sized mannequins to conduct their training.