Haines pool offers lifeguarding certification and training for emergencies in and out of the water

Life-threatening situations near water can occur suddenly and without warning. As KHNS Corinne Smith reports, a group of Haines residents gathered for a three-day lifeguarding course recently to train in hands-on life-saving skills.

A final skills test caps three-days of lifeguarding training. 

“No breathing, no pulse. Starting CPR now,” says Lucia Chapell, crouching by a dummy victim at the side of the Haines pool. 

Fifteen-year-old Chapell performed an emergency rescue, pulling the unconscious victim – played by a classmate – from the bottom of the pool, to the side, then out of the water, in under a minute and 30 seconds. 

With the victim showing no signs of breathing or a pulse, she begins CPR immediately.

She gives two rescue breaths, followed by 30 firm chest compressions. She yelled for colleagues to call 911.

“One, two, three, four,” Chapell counts aloud as she performs CPR.

The victim could have suffered a heart attack while swimming laps, or collided with another swimmer and swallowed water and began to drown. The five Haines participants in the weekend American Red Cross lifeguarding training learned how to look out for and prevent injuries, conduct emergency rescues, and provide first aid. 

Jae McDermaid is a lifeguard instructor and the Haines Pool Manager:

“This is a not just lifeguarding, but it’s CPR/AED for the professional lifeguard,” McDermaid said. “The entire courses about three days long, but with half of it being done mostly online so that we can be in the water for the three days and get a lot of that hands on skills done in person.”

Participants are trained to use a hand-held device – an automated external defibrillator or AED –  immediately on an unconscious victim to shock and revive a heartbeat. 

Lifeguard participants worked in teams role-playing emergency scenarios – rescuing a victim with no pulse, hooking up the machine and administering CPR until there’s signs of life. 

“Fourteen, 15… Everyone stand clear. I’m clear, you’re clear, we’re all clear!”

“Shock advised,” the machine instructs.

McDermaid says participants are trained to respond to emergency situations at any time. 

“Not only just for here at the pool, but also out in our community, say, so now you are completely certified for CPR, and you see somebody going unconscious in the grocery store, now you’re capable now to step in and help that person even if it isn’t an aquatic situation,” McDermaid said.

21-year-old Haines resident Kamakana Kanahele says he took the class to learn the skills to help keep people safe, and hopes to work as a lifeguard.

“It was amazing. Working together with people that I didn’t know and got to build trust and relationships with them was amazing,” Kanahele said. “I was pretty nervous. But now that I have it down, I’m going to continue to practice it so that it won’t slip my mind, and I’ll be able to help and have that knowledge for my entire life.”

The Haines Pool was founded in 1980, after a local family of seven – two parents and five children – all drowned tragically in a boating accident in Lutak Inlet. The accident spurred the Haines community to build the pool, and ensure that all residents — children and adults learn to swim.

In 2010, 14-year-old Andrew Williamson tragically drowned while swimming near the Port Chilkoot Dock. 

The Haines pool partners with the Haines and Klukwan schools – and Skagway, weather and transportation permitting —  to offer swim lessons and survival skills like cold water safety classes. McDermaid says the goal is to make the pool as accessible as possible.

“We try to really take that seriously when we come to water safety, because that’s the reason why we have the pool,” McDermaid said. “It’s very important that the children of our community know how to swim.”

Lucia Chapell says she grew up hearing these tragic stories, and now with lifeguarding training, she feels she could offer assistance in a similar emergency.

“After today, I definitely feel a lot more confident that like, my skills are refreshed and yeah, I feel like I would pretty much know what to do.”

While the emergencies can occur in or out of the water at any time, five more Haines residents are trained to respond. 

For those interested in the lifeguarding course, or any water safety classes, contact the Haines Pool by visiting its page on the Haines Borough website, or call (907) 766 – 2666.

 

(Editor’s Note: The reporter participated in this lifeguarding course, and was one of the five people certified this weekend.)