Swimming & Swimming Pool Links

Although this page is outdated, not all the links are duplicated elsewhere, so I've left it up. But, the main link pages are now found elsewhere

Information and links for commercial swimming pool staff, owners and users.

Category: Commercial Pools

Subcategories

Lifesaving

  • Ellis & Associates Lifeguard Training and Facility Audits
    • Ellis & Assoc. now trains and audits lifeguards at the great majority of waterparks around the world, and has produced dramatic reductions in drownings at most of their customer facilities. If you work with commericial pools and water safety, you should be familiar with their techniques, even if their services are not available to you. By most accounts, it was the hot breath of competitive pressure from Ellis that prompted the American Red Cross to produce the massive revision of their lifeguard training program, rolled out in 1995 and 1996.
  • Lifeguarding message board On going discusssion of current lifeguarding and rescue issues.

Heimlich Links:

NOTE: There is currently controversy about use of the Heimlich manuever in CPR. Dr. Heimlich advocates 3 to 4 quick thrusts applied as soon as possible to a drowning victim. Ellis and Associates tested this in 1996, applying the thrust in-water, and found that of the 25+ non-breathing victims to whom the Heimlich was applied, this manuever ALONE was sufficient to restart breathing in more than 60% of cases. The ARC and AHA have made very negative statements about Heimlich FIRST, and there is some medical literature to support their position. (Search MEDLINE, use search terms, 'drowning Heimlich') However, it's worth noting that Ellis & Associates rescue and auditing techniques have reduced drowning rates at up to 90% at facilities where they are employed. We think this alone qualifies them as experts!

We're not sure what the answer is, but there seems to be a fair amount of ducking and running going on in the AGAINST camp. The arguments against seem to amount to:

Any medical fool can see this is wrong, so we don't need to study it! All the data showing it works are only stories told by lifeguards, not by trained scientists — not that we have any trained scientists ready to get in the pool. Joe Average will get confused if we tell him do USE the Heimlich first in CPR applied to drowning victims, but DON'T USE the Heimlich first, otherwise. And, we've already got all our books written; this will complicate things.

So, here are the links regarding the "Heimlich FIRST".

  • The Heimlich Controversy in Near-Drowning Resuscitation
    Against the Heimlich in water rescue CPR
  • (page missing) AHA position against the Heimlich first in rescue CPR
  • The Heimlich Manuever and Drowing (page missing) "Heimlich First" by Dr. Hunsucker
  • http://www.alternativemedicine.com/whatshot/whatshot20.shtml
  • http://www.cincypost.com/news/1999/heim071099.html
  • http://www.jellis.com/statistics/98vstats.html
  • http://www.jellis.com/news/revdsubmrgd.html (Heimlich neutral)
  • http://www.heimlichinstitute.org/drncrc.htm
  • http://www.heimlichinstitute.org/drnpstr.htm
  • http://members.home.net/ayem/heimlich.htm

Back to Top          —          Return to Main Links Page

Organizations

.

Back to Top          —          Return to Main Links Page

Publications

Back to Top          —          Return to Main Links Page

Regulations

PDF downloads
Note: You must have the free Acrobat reader to use these documents.

Back to Top          —          Return to Main Links Page

Safety

Technical Stuff

.

Back to Top          —          Return to Main Links Page

 

About Us | Copyrights |Discussion Forum | Subscribe | Sitemap | Write us!

Copyright(c) PMB Webpages and Ben Powell, 1997-2001 All rights reserved