A Safe Place to Play

Safety doesn’t happen by accident. It happens behind the scenes on a daily basis. Keeping the public and employees safe at pools, parks, playgrounds, and programs requires ongoing education, the implementation of prevention policies, and the development of emergency response procedures. The Des Plaines Park District is committed to the safety of all their participants. Staff members attend workshops and seminars to learn about potential hazards, a Risk Management Committee continually assess and improves upon existing guidelines, and everyone at the District, including the Board of Commissioners and the Executive Director, are held accountable to a high set of standards that provide a safe recreational environment.

In 2011, The Des Plaines Park District attained Accreditation for excellence in safety by the Park District Risk Management Association (PDRMA). In order to attain and maintain accredited status, the District must develop safety training and management programs in all aspects of operations including: recreation programs; buildings and facility management; and parks, pools, and golf course operations. The ongoing goal is to keep the Des Plaines Park District Risk Management Program in the overall 95% rating of the PDRMA evaluation process.

Safety begins with education. To that end, all Des Plaines Park District employees must successfully complete in-service training for first aid; AED, (Automated External Defibrillator); and CPR, (Cardiovascular Pulmonary Resuscitation); and recertify every two years. They are also responsible for learning the safety rules and procedures set forth in the Risk Management Committee’s Safety Manual. Certain jobs at the District, however, require additional and ongoing safety training and education. The District has Certified Pool Operators, Certified Playground Safety Inspectors and Installers, and an award winning Lifeguard staff. Lifeguards on duty at Mystic Waters Family Aquatic Center and the two neighborhood pools, Iroquois and Chippewa, are trained and certified by the Jeff Ellis and Associates International Pool and Waterpark Training Course before the season starts. Their initial 20 hours of course training includes a written test, water safety and rescue techniques, CPR, first aid, AED certification, and oxygen support training. Once assigned to a pool, the guards spend another 10 to 15 hours in-service training at their facility before it opens for the season. During the summer, guards practice daily, swim laps to stay fit, and rehearse life-saving scenarios for one hour before their shift starts to meet a four-hour per month minimum requirement. Guards are trained to recognize the difference between splashing, playing, and drowning. “Keeping your mind alert in the sun, making sure guests are doing what they should be doing, even parents and adults many years their senior, handling first aid emergencies, and rescuing patrons in distress is not a job for just anyone. Lifeguards have one of the most demanding, serious, and difficult part-time summer jobs of all the Des Plaines Park District summer staff. The training is intense, because the job is intense,” said Jennifer Boys, Assistant Superintendent of Recreation and Chair of the Risk Management Committee. “Safety is our number one priority.”

All employees that drive Park District vehicles are required to take a PDRMA Defensive Driving course every three years and have a valid Illinois driver’s license. Bus drivers must also successfully pass written and road tests to earn their Commercial Driver’s License, and are randomly selected for physicals. Van drivers practice using Park District vehicles under the supervision of the Mechanical Operations Supervisor, who has been with the District for 30 years. All drivers are also required to study the Bus/Van Manual, be willing to participate in periodic license reviews, and submit to inspections of their driving record. “Many of our summer campers, and children participating in our school day off programs, take day trips to other park district facilities and popular venues for sports, games, and fun,” said Karyn Roth, Recreation Supervisor. “We take their travel safety seriously.”

The Des Plaines Park District takes a proactive approach to safety through rules and prevention policies that keep both participants and employees safe. Playground rules and park hours are posted that suggest the guidelines for responsible play. In the batting cages at Mountain View Adventure Center, batters are required to wear helmets, as are the employees who work on the maintenance of the cages. Camp counselors and lifeguards carry gloves and first aid supplies with them at all times, and first aid kits and AED’s are available in all camp buildings, at all three pools, and in most District facilities. Park District staff, at these locations, have been prepared to use these life-saving devices through a comprehensive training program. In-service training and recertification keeps these employees ready for any emergency.

Several hundred children attend Des Plaines Park District summer day camps every week. Keeping this many children safe requires a caring, committed staff, and enough counselors to see to all of the children’s individual needs. The ratio of counselors to campers under the age of five years old is one counselor for every seven campers; for campers six years and older the ration is 1:10. Counselors routinely perform head counts and campers must check in and out as they rotate through activity stations. Special forms are kept at each camp, so counselors know who is authorized to pick up the children at the end of their day. When campers visit Lake Park and use the paddleboats, the wearing of life jackets is mandatory. Life jackets are also available to campers and the public, free of charge, at all three pools. “Sometimes it is the simplest of rules, like no horseplay or running on the decks that keep people safe at our facilities,” Boys said.

Participants in outdoor recreation at the Des Plaines Park District are protected by ThorGuard lightning prediction systems. This state-of-the-art system actually predicts when conditions are right for lightning strikes rather than simply detecting actual strikes. Though pools close early in case of threatening weather, this feature allows for earlier warnings and gives Park District participants more time to take shelter from an approaching storm. ThorGuard units are located at Mystic Waters, Chippewa Park and Pool, Seminole Park, Arndt Park, the Administrative and Leisure Center, which also covers Iroquois Pool, West Park, Blackhawk Park, the Golf Center Des Plaines, and Prairie Lakes Park; both Lake Park and Maine West High School have two units.

The development of an emergency operations plan and response procedures at the District insures that, in the case of an emergency, staff knows what to do, who to call, and how to keep participants safe. Weather, fire, and utility failure protocols are in place at every facility and the District’s disaster plan provides for a quick and effective response in emergency situations. Both Prairie Lakes Community Center and Chippewa Pool have red land-line phones that dial 911 directly in case of emergencies. “While the Risk Management Committee meets monthly, and we police ourselves, we also work in conjunction with qualified safety experts from PDRMA to help insure that safety inspections are performed at all facilities,” said Boys. “We set high standards, and we hold ourselves accountable. We know how to play it safe!”

For more information about programs and events at the Des Plaines Park District, visit www.DPParks.org or call 847-391-5700.