The Redwoods Group Insurance Program for YMCAs
Aquatics Alert 2002-11 & 12


Each year nearly 1500 children drown in the U.S., more than half in guarded pools. As many YMCA professionals know, abuse, sexual and otherwise, occurs nearly everywhere. As we all know, a drowning can occur nearly anywhere. Yet, the natural inclination is to believe that one will not happen in our own community, especially at our own YMCA. Awareness of the threat's reality is critical. Reinforcing proven prevention strategies is an essential element in protecting the kids in our programs. Both are the goals for our "Aquatic Alert" program. Each is a brief treatment of the topic, focussing on a real, recent, public event... reprinting the published article in its entirety (omitting names and identifying references to the YMCA) and providing a few important teaching points for you to share with your staff. As always, if you need additional guidance on this topic, please call us at (800) 463 8546.


"[Suburb] woman dies while swimming at YMCA"
MAJOR MID-WESTERN CITY -- 11/23/2002: [First victim], 49, of [suburb], died Thursday while swimming laps in the pool at the YMCA at [address] in [suburb 2].

[First victim], of the [numerical designator] block of [street], was found unresponsive in the pool about 2 p.m. She was taken to [Name] Health Center, where she died. The cause of her death is still under investigation.
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"Man dies after being pulled from pool
MAJOR MID-WESTERN CITY -- 12/04/2002: [Second victim], 39, of [suburb 3], died Saturday after he was found unconscious in the swimming pool at the YMCA at [address] in [suburb 2]. [Second victim], of the [numerical designator] block of [street], was found about 2:30 p.m. and taken to [Name] Health Center, where he died.

Witnesses said [second victim] had been jumping off the diving board. He had suffered from autism and had a history of seizures, investigators said. [First victim], 49, of [suburb], died Nov. 22 while swimming laps in the same pool. The cause of both deaths is under investigation.
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What we don't know:
  • the cause of death in either incident; neither have yet been attributed to drowning and both are under investigation; there has been no public announcement regarding the cause of death in first incident, which happened nearly 3 weeks ago
  • almost anything about the incidents themselves...
    • how busy the pool was at the time of either event (both being about the same time in the afternoon, but on different days of the week)
    • the quality of lifeguarding with regard to ratio, ancillary duties, attentiveness, or, for that matter, whether the pool was even actively guarded at the times of the incidents
    • the specifics of the first incident... the first article first says she died while swimming on Thursday, then later it says that she died at the care facility; the second says she died on 11/22... 11/22 was a Friday; we presume the incident was Thursday and the resulting death was Friday
  • whether the second victim was a special needs swimmer as was hinted by the reference to his history of seizures; if he was, he clearly was not provided with such assistance
  • what response, comment, or activity was made by the YMCA or its staff, if any; the YMCA itself is completely unmentioned in these very brief news spots; the facility is noted as the site of both incidents, but nothing more; what the YMCA did or did not do is unknown, and it is very possible that the YMCA was not even contacted by the reporter(s) who prepared these news flashes
    • What we do know:
  • 2 adults were found either unconscious or unresponsive in the same YMCA swimming pool within 10 days of one another
  • the victims were reported found unconscious or unresponsive, which at least implies that they were not observed in distress (aquatic or otherwise) and pulled from the water in an attempted rescue; if those reports are accurate, that would mean that the 10/10 standard was not being met, no matter what the actual causes of death

    • What should be remembered:
  • Any pool that is open or accessible for use should always be actively guarded by an attentive qualified lifeguard. Details on what that entails may be found in RMT -- An Inviolate Primer or in briefer form in RMA -- An Inviolate Primer on our website.
  • Even adults can drown. Sometimes (though not necessarily in either of these instances) adults may be special needs swimmers needing extra, possibly one-on-one, attention.
  • It is important for a YMCA to live and demonstrate its values, especially in a time of tragedy... not just to the specific individuals and families involved but to the entire community.

    • Please call us at 800-463-8546 to discuss this or any other risk management concern, or visit our web site at www.redwoodsgroup.com to learn more about YMCA risk management related issues.


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    © The Redwoods Group, 2002
    Risk Management services are provided by The Redwoods Group to assist the insured in fulfilling its responsibilities for the control of potential loss-producing situations involving their YMCA operations. The information contained is not intended as legal advice; it simply represents trends in the YMCA industry, related industries and/or law. Laws and suggested standards are under constant review by courts, states and trade groups. They can be vastly different in each jurisdiction. For legal advice relating to any subject addressed, YMCAs are advised to seek the services of a local personal attorney. The information is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind and The Redwoods Group expressly disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to any information contained, including all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The Redwoods Group assumes no liability of any kind for information and data contained or for any course of action you may take in reliance thereon.
    released 12/18/02