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Emergency Action Plan The WRAC Center pool has quite an elaborate Emergency Action Plan (EAP) that caters for both the staff and students attending the aquatic classes at the facility. The plan comprises of lifeguard training, potential preparations, delegation of duties to the staff, installment of various emergency equipment and, the availability of evacuation rooms. The facility has also availed emergency cell phone numbers to all participants. The detailed communication plan includes the establishment of land line phone booths.
The booths are located at one fare end of the swimming pool. Inside the booth are phone directories that bear the frequently used emergency phone contacts. Other than the booths, an alarm has been installed in one the adjacent building. The alarm is used to alert the participants in case of danger so that they can leave the swimming pool with immediate effect. The participants with Autism are usually at a higher risk during the swimming lessons (Mary, 2010, pp23). They can accidentally fall in the water and get trapped inside without being noticed.
Since their speaking is sometimes distorted, they may not be in a position to alert others for help. To care of these individuals, lifeguards have taken it upon themselves to ensure that they swim under a close watch. Fellow students are advised to partner with an autistic friend while in the pool. In case of emergency such as drowning or seizure in water, the lifeguards and trained student captains are usually to lead the rescue plan (Red Cross, 2015). Rescue plans and methods vary with the kind of emergency.
If one is trapped under water, deep-swimmer lifeguards have the sole responsibility of performing the search and bringing the victim to the surface. In case of fire, the participants have been instructed on how to ring the alarm and use the fire extinguishers. While the main role of the lifeguards is to perform a rescue operation, the Adapted Aquatic Instructors have a general role of giving directions to the participants. These include swimming tactics for various purposes such as emergency.
The instructor assistants usually wok alongside the senior instructors and represent their seniors when they are away. They give the participants a general orientation of the facility and are always available for the students during swimming lessons. When there is an emergency that is beyond the capabilities of the staff, it is always advisable to seek for an external help through phone calls. 911 is always a central rescue number. However, there is always a chain of command in calling this emergency number.
When participants notice any danger, they first informed the student captain who then delivers the information to the assistant instructors. The assistant instructors then get the approval of their seniors before calling 911. The whole procedure usually takes a few minutes since it is an emergency. There is a wide door that acts as an emergency exist. The door is wide enough to allow the passage of a crowd. This door leads to an open area where the participants are free and safe from any danger.
To ensure that every gets out, a loud speaker may be used to ask if there is anyone trapped inside. For the children with Autism, the rescue team has to physically search all locations of the facility. After the exit, the role-call can is counter-checked and verified with the rescued participants. BibliographyAmerican Red Cross. 2015. Swimming and Water Safety Manual. Boston. Red CrossAutism Speaks. 2015. Autism Response Team. [Online]. Available at < https://www.autismspeak.org> [accessed 27 March 2015]Mary, D. 2010. Emergency Action Plan for a Swim Instructor.
DeAnza College. Pp23Will, R. 2012. Emergency and Rescue Plan in Aquatic Environment. New York. Elsevier. Pp67-98
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