The staff at Pelican Harbor Aquatic Park received a 5-star overall rating on their audit of lifeguard and facility operations. This is the highest possible rating that can be achieved through the Starguard ELITE Aquatic Risk Prevention Audit. Of the six lifeguards individually audited for surveillance, four of them received a 5-star rating and two received a 4-star rating.

The way an audit works is that an auditor from Starguard ELITE comes to Pelican Harbor Aquatic Park unannounced. They secretly film a handful of lifeguards and review their performance based on positioning, scanning the pool, that they’re easily identifiable, their equipment is ready, have appropriate sun/environmental protection and lifeguard rotation.

After the lifeguard evaluation is complete, the auditor enters the break room and introduces themselves to the lifeguard that are on break. They then test those lifeguards in a series of skills and scenarios that include:

  • CPR
  • Nose bleed situation
  • Unresponsive rescue in the pool (extrication)
  • Spinal Injury

In all of these areas, the staff at Pelican Harbor received a 5-star rating. Additionally, the team got a 5-star rating for having the correct and current documentation, supervisor observation and physical facility observation, which included things like cleanliness, having proper supplies, signage, manager was visible and communication devices.

The process of training lifeguards this year was challenging due to COVID-19. Aquatic Manager Sarah Sielisch had to conduct the bulk lifeguard trainings via ZOOM. These trainings lasted up to 12 hours and covered CPR, First-Aid, and slide dispatch.

“We got very creative!” said Sielisch. “We used pillows and stuffed animals, I showed them videos and we’d all practice together. I would randomly call on them to answer questions to make sure they were paying attention. It was creative and different.”

Once staff was allowed back into the facility, they had to complete an additional eight hours of training to cover new COVID-19 procedures and lifeguard renewal certifications. At the end of it all, the hard work payed off as the facility received an overall 5-star rating.

“We’re very excited over here. The staff is ecstatic and they keep talking about it,” said Sielisch. “When I watched the videos to be honest, I have never seen such a great audit before, everything was textbook.”

Congratulations to all the staff involved:

  • Sarah Sielisch
  • Christine Pfau
  • Madison Reed
  • Ariana Carrasquillo
  • Jennifer Key
  • Nicholas Jones
  • Ari Crowder
  • Jessica St. Laurent
  • Emily Nichols
  • Angel Ambriz
  • Trevor Whitlatch
  • Adam Andrews
  • Jacob Smith
  • Grace D’Amico