As April showers bring May flowers, summer heat brings people to the pool. And with many private residential and commercial pools dotting our response area, the chance for a water and pool related emergency significantly rises. To better prepare for these kind of summer related emergencies, members of St. 5 spent a fun and educational Monday evening learning about the different types of hazards and emergencies they could encounter, and how to respond to these various unusual types of calls.

First responders spent the first part of the evening going over classroom material, such as identifying risks to oneself and victims, the different types of drownings, hazards, pre-planning for and response to water and pool emergencies. The material covered flooding and basic swift water found in the Water Rescue Awareness class, and also more specific pool related information frequently found in specialty and life guarding classes.

The second portion of the evening was centered around practical demonstration, drills, and evolutions, located at Chester Valley Golf Club's pool. Firefighters toured the facility and identified various "problem points" that this commercial facility had, including the pump room and chemicals. Then members saw how lifeguards and water rescue personnel responded to a variety of different situations, from an active drowning victim to a unconscious and submerged victim to spinal injuries, etc. and then had a chance to try out and practice some of the skills themselves.

The evening then concluded with a fun game of water polo and in water basketball.

Special thanks to Mike Schon for coordinating and leading this drill, and Lt. Joe Whisler from St. 53 and Glen Morgan for assisting with instruction and evolutions.

A big thank you also goes to Jay Schiller and his pool staff at Chester Valley for donating the pool and personal time to make this drill happen.