What is an emergency responder?

GUIDANCE

What is an emergency responder? 

Without lifeguards, there should be designated on-call competent staff to respond and deal with any pool emergency (HSG179, para 113). Emergency responders may undertake non-supervisory duties at times when they are on call, provided they can promptly attend the swimming pool in event of a potential incident. 

What are the skills of an emergency responder?

An emergency responder is equipped with the rescue, recovery, resuscitation and first aid skills of a lifeguard required to attend poolside in the event of an emergency. An emergency responder is not equipped with a lifeguard's supervisory skills such as scanning, identifying an emergency, proactive intervention, and enforcing pool rules (HSG179, para 115). These are skills required by those who provide constant poolside supervision and are not required by emergency responders who provide remote supervision.  

Does an emergency responder need to be qualified? 

An emergency responder, like all staff, needs to be competent to perform the responsibilities of their role in a way that takes reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others. Achieving an industry-recognised qualification would be an advisable starting point, albeit being qualified is not a replacement for competency. 

An emergency responder may receive additional training from their employer to enable them to perform some supervisory tasks, particularly in a supporting role, provided they are able to deliver the standard of supervision expected.

Does an emergency responder need to attend ongoing training?

An emergency responder must provide a competent standard of work. Ongoing training is one means by which an employer can support the discharge of their duty to take reasonable steps to prevent a pool user or emergency responder from being exposed to a risk of harm. 

Emergency responders forget things, as we all do. Skills degrade over time and between the typical two-year prequalification cycle in particular. Degradation of skills may be more extreme where an emergency responder is less experienced, although this will depend on a variety of individual factors.

Emergency responders also have a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others. As the industry continues to professionalize, the responsible approach to attending ongoing training expected of the average emergency responder continues to increase. If your emergency responder colleagues are attending training and you are not, you are more likely to be found to have fallen short of your duty in the event of an incident. 

References

HSE. 2018. Health and safety in swimming pools. HSG179, version 4. 

Citation: Jacklin, D. 2022. What is an emergency responder? Water Incident Research Hub, 2 January.