12:01pm.
Community Centre pool has been open for 60 seconds.
Janitor calls to a lifeguard: Hey, your emergency phone working?
Lifeguard shrugs: Think so.
(Think so? THINK so? isn't that a little nonchalant for an EMERGENCY phone?)
Janitor calls to Lifeguard: Why don't I call you? You can answer the phone and lets make sure it works.
Thank you Mr. Janitor. Maybe we should all switch t-shirts, and you can be the lifeguard this afternoon.
Top Four Things That Are Scary About This Story (aka Complaint Tie-In):
1. There were two lifeguards, neither of whom had checked whether emergency phone was working. This should obviously be part of the opening of the pool procedure. Check that lanes are set up, check that chlorine/filter are working. Check that phone is operational.
2. Someone died in this very same pool a couple of weeks ago. You would think that the lifeguards would be sufficiently freaked out to be extra super mega double dog careful. You would think that the lifeguards would be downright neurotic about accident prevention and safety.
3. The janitor's plan, while well intentioned, only checks the emergency phone's ability to take incoming calls. Aren't we more worried about the phone's ability to make outgoing calls? Shouldn't we be checking that?
(and the fourth scary element of this story:)
4. When I overheard this conversation I was secretly a bit happy. Because even though my personal safety and that of all the other swimmers was briefly compromised, I knew I'd have a great story to tell you later.
Happy New Year.
Didn't you once write Bout a friend who had a complaint about the same pool and their safety issues, and you helped said friend lodge her complaint effectively. Maybe for the safety of all the head of the complaint blog needs to step in ....formally
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