MANCHESTER, Conn — A hot summer has kept a busy pace for the 60 lifeguards working at the five public swimming areas in Manchester.
In addition to their usual job of looking over the pools in town, the lifeguards are put to the test. Every summer, the recreation department in Manchester collaborates with the fire department, the police department and the Ambulance Service of Manchester to put on “Live Audits” for the town lifeguards. Essentially, they hold surprise scenarios that test a lifeguard's skill.
The live audit was a simulation of an extrication and resuscitation at the Marcy MacDonald Pool.
“They (the lifeguards) are the first line of defense in the whole chain of survival,” said Battalion Chief Matt Leroux, the chief of training at the Manchester Fire Department. “Everybody works together.”
“Any day something can happen, these guards need to be ready,” said Josh Charette, the supervisor at the Manchester Department of Recreation, who oversees the lifeguards. “We want the people to know that the lifeguards are not just here in a guard chair they’re ready to go at any moment.”
“It does feel real," said lifeguard Owen Austin, 18, "but at the same time we know our skills and we know what we are doing so it helps us make sure we are doing our job as effectively as possible.”
After the lifeguards' live audit ended, Chief Leroux said he was pleased with the results: “The CPR was spot on, we simulated a call to 911 and got the resources here in a timely manner.”
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Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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