Help Prepare Your Property for Pool Season

It has been a while since you have used your indoor and/or outdoor aquatic facilities, and it’s time to get them ready again. So, what should you do?

You can’t expect to start the facility up again right away, and it may take several days or a week depending on your procedures. Hopefully, your facility’s certified pool operator was checking the pool daily while the facility was closed, so getting restarted should be less difficult.

Seasonal Pool Opening Checklist

Things to tackle as you start getting your facility aquatic operations back in order:

• Check the pool chemistry. If your local/state code allowed you to reduce the parts per million of chemicals in the pool water while the pool was unoccupied, then it now needs to be brought back up to typically maintained functioning levels.
• Check the pool chemicals that were in storage to make certain that they are still usable. These chemicals in your storage area may have gotten contaminated during the closure of your operations and may not be as effective. If in doubt, dispose of them properly.
• Wash and disinfect the pool deck. This should include all areas of the pool deck, including the showers in the locker rooms where members shower before entering the pool.
• Make sure all lights are working on the pool deck to the appropriate lumens. Check with your local/state building codes to make certain that you meet the minimum requirements.
• Check Virgina Graeme Baker (VGB) drain covers to make sure that they are attached and functioning properly.
• Check all safety equipment to ensure that it is in usable condition. This would include things such as lifeguard chairs, rescue tubes, first aid kit, AED (make sure pads and batteries are in working condition), backboard and oxygen.
• Check the emergency button or phone system to make certain it is in working condition.
• Check filtration systems to make sure that they are working.
• Work with your local health department and follow their guidelines regarding inspections before opening to the public.

One of the most important things to do before opening is to reorient your lifeguards to your operations. They have been preoccupied with other things while the facility was closed and may have forgotten the protocols and procedures of the facility. Before being assigned any shift, lifeguards should undergo a reorientation as if they were new to the facility. This reorientation should be checked off the same way any in-service training is completed, and they should pass a written and verbal competency test to make sure they are comfortable with the location of equipment and protocols. Finally, it is suggested that all actions are documented.