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Most public pools in Salt Lake County don’t have maximum capacities or minimums for lifeguard staffing.
“It’s hard to determine on an outdoor pool deck because not everybody is in the water,” said Aquatics Manager Lyse Durrant at Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center. “You have a lot of people on deck, they’re laying out, and they’re enjoying other amenities.”
Durrant says pools have different lifeguard staffing standards based on their sizes.
But parents must always watch their children, because lifeguards cannot do everything on their own.
“One parent gets in, and another parent says, ‘OK, now I can get in,’” she said. “Pretty soon, you have parents and kids having the best time that they can have in the pool.”
Durrant says extra lifeguards can be called in for busy holidays, but adds that the stress does not rise then.
“No more than any normal day,” she said. “When you’re the lifeguard, you’re in charge of what goes on in that pool. We adjust and add extra staff when we know it’s going to be busy.”
Sacir Mehanovic,7, of West Valley City, drowned in the Cottonwood Heights pool on Sunday, even with hundreds of people – including 20 lifeguards – present.
“It can happen in the blink of an eye, and it can happen young or old,” Durrant said. “You need to respect the water. Parents need to be actively involved when they bring their kids to the pool.”
Lifeguards continue training, even in middle of the busy summer season, Durrant said.
