By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Water was filling up the pool last Thursday at the Great Bend Wetlands
Waterpark. Prior to the official pool opening day on May 27, there
are 44 lifeguards preparing for an enjoyable yet serious responsibility at the
Great Bend pool.
“It’s kind of crazy when you think about it because we’re asking people ages 15
to 21 to do something that could be so life-threatening for somebody,” said
Megan Hammeke, Great Bend Recreation Commission Aquatics Director. “They take
it very seriously and know what I expect from them. We have fun when we can
have fun and work hard when we need to work hard.”
Each lifeguard in Great Bend has to get certified through the Red Cross. The
25-30 hour course is good for two years of certification. Through
certification, the lifeguards will learn lifesaving skills such as CPR, AED,
first aid and skills in the water.
“In Great Bend, because we’re considered a waterpark with our features that we
have, our guards are required to do weekly training,” said Hammeke. “We’ll
practice for at least an hour practicing saves on certain slides.”
There is even training on whistle blowing. One whistle signifies a warning to a swimmer or patron. A two-whistle approach is a call for Hammeke or a manager to
respond. Three whistles means one of the lifeguards went into the water to make
a rescue. Three whistles and the sound of the air horn is a signal for workers
in the office to call 911 for emergency response.
“We’ll practice blowing whistles loud enough because I need to hear their
whistles all the way in my office,” said Hammeke. “They will literally stand
there and blow their whistle until I can hear it loudly.”
The day before the pool opens, all the lifeguards will arrive to the waterpark
to go through “boot camp” to practice everything once again.
“They’ll practice how they do each save and the process of how long it might
take for EMS to get there,” said Hammeke. “We have a mannequin that can go to
the bottom of the pool. They can pull that mannequin off the bottom and then
begin CPR once back on land.”
Hammeke estimated her pool staff has to perform a save once a week for a
variety of reasons.
“Kids get tired or they don’t realize how hard that water pushes them,” said
Hammeke. “The oldest slide here in Great Bend has the most water pushing from
it. They think they can touch but the water current from the slide is so hard.
It can be scary in that moment. Parents are scared. We just want the lifeguards
to be prepared and watching the water to be ready to make any saves.”
The majority of the lifeguards this summer at the Great Bend pool are
returners. Along with the 44 lifeguards, the waterpark staff will include 10
concession stand workers.