I’m a trained lifeguard with 3 full years of experience at several different pools.
This situation could happen to any of the lifeguards working, the pool is a large area and you can’t watch the entire thing at once even when there is several guards on one pool.
The young girl may have been underwater less than 30 seconds because children are more likely to get confused and breathe in the water once they are deeper than where they can stand. Once a person breathes in water, they either cough it up or continue breathing in water out of panic and they will pass out in a matter of seconds.
The lifeguards did what they are supposed to do, and to be critical is not fair to the circumstances of the event. Even with extensive training and experience do you have 3 sets of eyes? I didn’t think so.
Why don’t you do some better research and talk to people who are lifeguards and train lifeguards rather than drawing your own conclusions based on faulty information.
WATCHDOG’S RESPONSE: If indeed circumstances require “3 sets of eyes”, then there needs to be more lifeguards. On busy days at the fourteen pools we manage, we not only have a guard in the chair but one sitting at the other end of the pool.
The Intelligencer Journal / New Era reports describes a far more serious event than what is suggested above. “May have been under water less than 30 seconds” seems unlikely, especially since an ambulance was summoned.
On a busy day, Skyline pools should have double the number of guards on duty than the number of life guard chairs plus perhaps two more to allow for routine breaks.
The ambulance was summoned at the request of the family and guards to check the child over.