(由 Google 翻译)疏忽大意的青少年救生员:警示故事——请阅读并注意
我通常是一个善解人意的人,也知道每个人都会有状态不佳的时候。然而,在拯救溺水儿童方面,我认为应该有更高的标准。
我想分享最近在Cape Splash家庭水上中心的一次经历,作为警示故事。我的家人——我的丈夫、我们7岁的患有自闭症的非语言儿子、4岁的儿子和我——在公园开放前就到了。一位非常热情的保安迅速带我们通过了金属探测器。他似乎很想执行新的规则和政策。
我们径直前往小学儿童专用区。我的孩子们在那里玩耍,我的丈夫在一旁看着他们。我短暂地离开去洗手间,不想让他和两个儿子单独待太久,因为他们可能非常活泼。
回来的时候,我看到丈夫带着7岁的孩子,正惊慌失措地冲着4岁的孩子喊停,让他赶紧回来。我一看,儿子正爬着儿童区和“漩涡”泳池隔开的两英尺高的墙。突然,漩涡里的水流把他的脚卷了出去。他被水淹没了,无法控制自己的身体——这已经是溺水了。
事发地点几英尺范围内有三名救生员,但没有人注意到发生了什么。就在儿子沉下去之前,丈夫大喊“救他”,但救生员们却毫无反应。直到丈夫开始大喊大叫,咒骂起来,其中一人才终于动了起来。
救生员们都愣住了,直到情况紧急才有所反应。幸运的是,儿子在水下只待了大约三秒钟。公园经理后来告诉我,只要游泳者在15秒内获救,就算是“成功获救”。我强烈反对——溺水无论持续多久都很危险,我不敢想象,如果我丈夫没有及时反应,他可能会被淹多久。
这起事件凸显了一个重大失误:公园没有告知游客关键的安全规则,例如15秒的救援时间,以及让儿童在监护人伸手可及的范围内的重要性。没有一个家长遵守这条规则。儿童区周围摆放着躺椅,大概是为了让家长在孩子玩耍时坐在上面,但孩子们的伸手可及的地方。这些规则只是在事件发生后才被提及,似乎是为了保护机构免于承担责任,而不是为了防止事故发生。
此外,几乎没有任何工作人员或管理人员承认我儿子正处于溺水的初期阶段。就好像直到情况紧急,他们才完全意识到情况的严重性。
“死亡漩涡”与儿童区几乎没有隔开,很容易进入——我儿子就证明了这一点。救生员大多是青少年,疏忽了对这个危险区域的监管,缺乏适当的监督。你真的希望青少年保护你的孩子免受致命漩涡的伤害吗?他们未能及时对我们儿子的遇险做出反应。而且在Cape Splash,溺水事件的发生似乎达到了可接受的程度,才会被认定为“未能成功救助”或“实际溺水”。他们的反应标准低得危险。
保安的过度热情和强行带走我丈夫的行为,只会让本已危险的局面雪上加霜。这令人沮丧,也毫无必要,尤其是在他们忽视了基本的安全规程和细致的监管的情况下。
之后,经理给了我们通行证,让我们改天再来,但我仍然犹豫是否要带孩子们来。我和丈夫正在考虑一次只带一个孩子来,这样我们就可以格外警惕,因为我们不能指望救生员来确保孩子们的安全。
这次经历再次深刻地提醒我们,保持警惕、积极主动的监管至关重要,训练有素、反应灵敏的救生员也至关重要。如果您决定前往该设施,请务必谨慎小心。
(原文)
Negligent Teenage Lifeguards: A Tale of Caution - Please Read and Be Warned
I am generally an understanding person and recognize that everyone can have moments when they don't perform at their best. However, when it comes to saving children from drowning, I believe there should be a higher standard.
I want to share a recent experience at Cape Splash Family Aquatic Center as a cautionary tale. My family—my husband, our 7-year-old nonverbal autistic son, our 4-year-old son, and myself—arrived before the park opened. A very eager security guard quickly ushered us through the metal detectors. He seemed eager to enforce the new rules and policies.
We headed straight to the designated area for young elementary school aged children. My children were playing there while my husband watched over them. I briefly left to use the restroom, not wanting to leave him alone with both boys for long, as they can be quite energetic.
When I returned, I saw my husband with my 7 year old shouting in a panicked tone at our 4-year-old to stop and get back. I looked and realized that our son was climbing the 2-foot wall separating the kiddie area from the "Vortex" pool. Suddenly, the current in the vortex swept his feet out from under him. He was underwater and unable to regain control of his body—this constitutes drowning.
There were three lifeguards within a few feet of the scene, yet none of them noticed what was happening. My husband screamed "Get him" just before our son went under, but the lifeguards did not react. It wasn't until my husband began shouting and cursing that one of them finally moved.
The lifeguards froze and only reacted after the situation became urgent. Fortunately, our son was under water for only about three seconds. The park's manager later told me that as long as a swimmer is rescued within 15 seconds, it counts as a "good save." I strongly disagree—any amount of time drowning is dangerous, and I shudder to think how long he might have been under if my husband hadn't reacted.
This incident highlights a major failure: the park did not inform guests of critical safety rules, such as the 15-second rescue window or the importance of keeping children within arm's reach of their guardians. No parents were following this rule. There are lounge chairs surrounding the kiddie area, presumably for parents to sit on while their children play, out of arms reach. The rules were only spoken of after the incident, seemingly as a way to protect the establishment from liability, not to prevent accidents.
Furthermore, there was barely any acknowledgment from staff or management that my son was in the initial stages of drowning. It was as if they didn't fully recognize how serious the situation was until it became urgent.
The "Vortex of Death" is barely separated from the kiddie area and is easily accessible—as my son demonstrated. The lifeguards, mostly teenagers, were negligently watching this dangerous zone without proper oversight. Do you want teenagers protecting your children from a deadly whirlpool? They failed to respond promptly to our son's distress, and it seems that in Cape Splash, there is an accepted amount of drowning that must occur before it is considered "not a good save" or "actual drowning." The standards for response are dangerously low.
The security guard's overzealousness and aggressive removal of my husband only added chaos to an already dangerous situation. It was frustrating and unnecessary, especially considering the neglect of basic safety protocols and attentive supervision.
Afterward, the manager gave us passes to return on a different day, but I remain hesitant about bringing my children back. My husband and I are considering bringing one child at a time so we can be extra vigilant because we cannot rely on the lifeguards to ensure our children's safety.
This experience has been a stark reminder of the importance of vigilant, proactive supervision and the critical need for trained, responsive lifeguards. Please be cautious and aware if you decide to visit this facility.