important insurance implicaons regarding your decision. If you are considering making a change (from lifeguards to no lifeguard or from no lifeguards to lifeguards), consult with your insurance provider. Discuss your opons with your insurance provider to see how your decision will aect premiums, coverage availability, and exclusions.


Providing lifeguard coverage (when not legally required) may be benecial for your insurance program. Contracng with companies that provide lifeguard services may further help your situaon as many companies provide addional insurance or completely indemnify the community. When contracng these lifeguard services the community associaon needs to verify that this lifeguard service has Commercial General Liability (CGL) coverage at acceptable limits and includes the community associaon as an addional insured on this policy. The community associaon must also verify the lifeguard service has Workers’ Compensaon coverage for the services’ own employees. Enes applying chemicals to the community associaon’s pool need to have Pescide/Herbicide Coverage included in their insurance program in addion to the coverages previously discussed. When the lifeguards are associaon employees the community associaon must make sure that it has secured Workers’ Compensaon and Employment Pracces Liability to properly protect their employees.


However, there are many other benets to providing lifeguards aside from the nancial and liability implicaons. Lifeguards can perform many tasks that would otherwise have to be performed by management, maintenance, or volunteers in the community. These tasks include opening and securing the pool area for the day, cleaning the pool, tesng and recording chemical readings at code required intervals, checking pool passes, conducng daily safety inspecons, and checking and restocking bathroom supplies. The


primary responsibility of a lifeguard and biggest benet to communies is promong safety through preventave lifeguarding. Lifeguards can ensure patrons are following pool rules, idenfy safety issues that come up through the day, educate patrons in safe swimming pracces, and respond in the event of an emergency.


One of the most overlooked benet to having a cered lifeguard at your pool facility is that lifeguards are trained to respond to medical emergencies as well as drowning emergencies. Oen mes, communies may assess risk based upon the swimming ability or age of the users. While these may be important in assessing the risk of convenonal drowning, the risk of drowning as a result of a medical emergency or incapacitaon is always present. While no community pool is completely risk free, the addion of a trained lifeguard can help create a safer swimming environment while providing a rst responder in the case of unpreventable medical or aquac emergency.


There are many programming opons for your community swimming pool which can augment the bather experience. The most important consideraon for any use or program is thorough planning. With each change to the use of your swimming pool there are important operaonal, regulatory and insurance consideraons. Take the me to discuss your plans with professionals, board members, management, and your insurance provider to ensure your plan is nancially and operaonally viable. Once you have determined that an opon is feasible, take the me to delineate and memorialize responsibilies, procedures, and policies to deliver a safe, fun, and well run swimming pool to your community members for the upcoming summer.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS


John Cox is the Vice President of Operaons for Sparkling Pool Services, Inc. and provides consulng, training, and expert witness services regarding commercial swimming pools. Sparkling Pool Services Inc. provides lifeguard service, management, maintenance, renovaon, and repairs for commercial swimming pools. John can be reached via e-mail at: jcox@sparklingpoolservices.com.


Robert A. Traivs, CIC, CIRMS is Director of Markeng for Community Associaon Underwriters of America. He is a member of CAI’s Naonal Faculty and served as President of the chapter in 2013. He can be reached at: rtravis@cauinsure.com.


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