News
Busting Water Maintenance Myths
02.14.2023
Pool& Spa Marketing | Patricia Fitzgerald | April 2012
There are plenty of misconceptions about water chemistry and testing floating around. Aside from the one about a dye that will detect people peeing in the pool, which can be helpful if swimmers believe it, they all impede our ability to manage water quality. So let’s do some myth busting. Myth 1: Experienced pool/spa operators can tell if there are issues with water quality by simply loo…
Lifeguard Trainers: Now's the Time to Develop Your In-Service Plan
02.14.2023
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | January 2023
Welcome to 2023. Now is a great time to draft an in-service training plan for this summer. For new leaders and trainers, let’s define in-service and several of its categories; lay out a timeline for a swim season that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day; and, within the Readiness category, do a walk-through of how the rescue skills should be broken down within a week and a month. For th…
Lifeguard Training: Getting in the Mix
02.14.2023
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | December 2022
When was the last time you trained with your staff — not led in-service training, but got in the water to perform rescues or take part in a multi-rescuer response team providing CPR? I think it is imperative that leaders participate with staff when it comes to training. Whether it is swim conditioning, water rescues, or land-based activities, you should be in the mix just as much as any …
Pete DeQuincy's Lessons on Mental Health and Why We Should Look Out for Each Other and Talk
12.06.2022
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | November 2022
It’s been two years since I wrote about my struggles with mental health, in response to the escalating mental-health issues occurring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. I was surprised that so many readers reached out to tell me that I wasn’t alone, and that they appreciated I was willing to be vulnerable and share my journey. Some explained to me their personal ex…
Retention Ponds: Drowning Hazards Hidden in Full View
12.06.2022
Aquatics International | John Fletemeyer | October 2022
The objective of this article is to call attention to a danger that often goes unrecognized, and to urge involvement by aquatics professionals to support safeguards against this hazard. Among the types of aquatic environments, it can be argued that retention ponds are the most dangerous. Retention ponds are manmade water bodies engineered and permitted to manage storm drainage. There are two t…
An Argument for Higher-Strength Concrete
07.05.2022
Pool & Spa News | Jonathan Dongell | January 2022
Surprisingly, there are no stipulated minimum acceptable requirements in any standards or codes within the pool/spa industry to regulate the design, materials, strength, durability or method of placement to construct a watertight and durable swimming pool structure. To ensure the promised life span of pools and spas, codes and standards coming from the industry should address these issues. PRO…
Industry Adapts to Changes in National Pool Drain Cover Standard
07.05.2022
Aquatics International | Rebecca Robledo | June 2021
The pool/spa industry is experiencing yet another byproduct of the historic pool and spa demand brought on by the pandemic, this one having to do with standards. In 2017, the code governing drain covers — ANSI/APSP/ICC 16-2017 — was updated. The new edition adds extra steps for drain-cover manufacturers, as well as the contractors who apply them in commercial installations. And, b…
Tracking the Data: How to Tell an Aquatic Facility's Story
07.05.2022
Aquatics International | Pete DeQuincy | May 2022
For more than a decade, I’ve written about in-service training drills and how to motivate staff in their frontline leadership role. I was driven to do this, in part, because I had personally responded to drowning incidents in both guarded and unguarded water. I witnessed the effect that drownings had on my staff and me. These incidents are traumatic. They significantly impact your psyche…
Avoiding Pool Chemical-Associated Health Events
05.10.2022
Aquatics International Intel by Solenis
Pool chemicals treat recreational water to prevent illnesses and outbreaks. These same chemicals, however, can also cause injuries if mishandled or used in an improperly configured commercial sanitization system. Having a well-configured sanitation system with fail-safe mechanisms can greatly reduce the potential for illness or injury, and these incidents can often be severe. For example, a fl…
Born of Necessity: New Practices from the COVID-19 Pandemic
05.10.2022
Aquatics International | Rebecca Robledo | April 2022
The COVID pandemic forced all kinds of changes to how aquatics professionals operated. Though most of these changes were temporary to meet restrictions, some facilities have found unexpected benefits, such as greater customer satisfaction and better staff communication, so they've chosen to keep a measure or two even after restrictions lifted. Here, two aquatics veterans explain some of these…
