Kinesiology Faculty Presents at International Drowning Conference

College of Health and Human Services lecturer, Roy Fielding, presented at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention, held last fall, in Potsdam, Germany. A senior lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology, Fielding presented on The Aquatic Management Tool, a checklist that helps aquatic venues assess where they stand in relationship to what they must, should or could do as it relates to best practices in the field. The checklist is designed to help operators of aquatic venues review current practices and make accurate comparisons. The intent is to reduce the risk and liability of an aquatic venue by preparing a comprehensive plan to be ready to prevent, control and/or respond in the case of an emergency.

Fielding also presented on The Lifeguard Rescue Reporting System, a system endorsed by the USLA, the Canadian Red Cross and the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. The Canadian and American Red Cross organizations encourage lifeguards to report the rescues that they make. Well over 1000 rescues have been entered into the data base.

The Department of Kinesiology hosts a reporting system to gather information about how lifeguards respond to all types of water-related incidents on the job. The goal is to help training agencies learn more about what actually is taking place when lifeguards are called upon to respond to an emergency, such as conditions at the time of the rescue, how the lifeguard identified the emergency and the type of equipment used in the rescue. This reporting system is designed to collect long term data to help aquatic professionals to understand if certain trends are taking place in the varying aquatic venues. The system divides into three aquatic areas: 1) Open Water, 2) Water Parks and 3) Swimming Pools and Spas.

To learn more about the Lifeguard Rescue Reporting System visit www.water-rescue.charlotte.edu