Rules of the Pool

While swimsuits are part of their required uniform and sunscreen and sunglasses are considered their protective work gear, the lifeguards at the Pickerington Community Pool, who watch the waters each day for potential problems, are not at the pool to work on their tans.

They take their jobs seriously, and these expert swimmers have been trained to act immediately if they sense someone is in trouble.

“A lot of people probably see us as the fun police,” said Charlie Combs, a student at The Ohio State University and eight-year employee of the pool. “I don’t enjoy whistling at people and telling them they can’t do something. I’m not trying to ruin their day; I’m just trying to enforce the rules and keep people safe.” contact information so an officer can seek additional information if needed.

Lifeguards – many of whom have been competitive high school swimmers – must complete rigorous tests before even qualifying to take the American Red Cross lifeguarding course.

Prospective lifeguards must be able to swim 300 yards without stopping using the front crawl and breaststroke in a prescribed order, said pool manager Katie Chontos, an OSU graduate student and veteran of 10 summers at the pool.

The American Red Cross specifies that each lifeguard must be at least 15 years of age and able to swim 20 yards using the front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 7-10 feet, and swim 20 yards back to the starting point with their face above the water within one minute, according to its website, www.redcross.org.

If the candidate is able to complete those feats, he or she is eligible to take the lifeguarding course, which requires 24-29 hours of classroom and pool time learning techniques to rescue people with various injuries.

While the police department will immediately check out any reports of suspicious activity, some investigations take months and years to finalize, so residents may not see the results right away.

Still, the police department is encouraging residents to play an active role in policing their neighborhoods and reporting any suspicious activity through the Community Observation Program (COP).

Lifeguards, who must pay about $200 for their own training, must also be certified in CPR/AED and First Aid.

“The deep water backboard was probably the hardest part of the training because you aren’t used to using a backboard in the water and treading water while trying to place someone on it,” said Hannah Dittoe, a 2012 graduate of Pickerington High School Central.

Even after the lifeguards are certified by the Red Cross, they must renew their lifeguard certification every two years and their CPR/AED and First Aid every two years as well.

The Pickerington Community Pool also requires lifeguards to participate in routine staff training and drills to keep their skills sharp for any emergency. Despite all the work and training, the Pickerington Community Pool lifeguards agree they have the best job under the sun and encourage other students to get into the swim.

“I’d say look into it because it’s a great summer job and you make a lot of good friends,” Chontos said.