he tragedy became every young lifeguard’s worst fear. In January, 8-year-old Garrison Adams failed to resurface after going down the slide. As lifeguards pulled him from the water gasping and jerking, rescue alarms shattered the calm afternoon at the Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA in Saukville, Wis.

Garrison was rushed to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, according to news reports. A thorough examination by Ellis & Associates found the lifeguards were placed and rotated properly, and followed the emergency action plan accordingly. A release issued by the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee stated, “Sadly, the efforts of the YMCA staff team, the EMT rescue squad and the emergency room medical personnel were unable to save Garrison’s life.”

Independent observers and investigators concurred with Ellis that guards were adequately trained and followed correct procedures. However, guards and the whole facility soon faced a new obstacle not outlined in any training manual or guide: handling the trauma after a drowning.

“All lifeguard training programs do a pretty good job of educating the lifeguards that this is a possibility,” says Jill White, founder of Starfish Aquatics Institute in Savannah, Ga. “[But] a teenager … is just not thinking in that mind-set.”

While many operators focus on thoroughly training and retraining guards for crisis moments, many forget to prepare them for what to do after a crisis. This oversight is unfortunate because both the guard staff and the facility are at their most vulnerable after such an event. Blame is often placed on the facility, and lawsuits soon follow. Handled improperly, a drowning or similar tragedy can be costly to the well-being of guards as well as the financial stability of a facility, warn experts. Here’s how aquatics managers can prepare beforehand to minimize the damage from a traumatic event and move on:

Establish a post-crisis EAP
After a crisis, several other stressful situations occur. The police investigation begins, along with the insurance investigation and the media frenzy. The community is asking questions, and the victim’s family wants answers. Meanwhile, the staff is slipping into shock and depression.

The best way to handle this type of post-crisis atmosphere is to prepare for it, experts say. After a tragedy is “not the time to scramble to gather information from different places,” White says. Assembling a post-crisis emergency action plan is the best way to prepare — and avoid common mistakes.

The first step for such a plan is putting together a crisis kit. It should be labeled and stored somewhere that everyone can easily find and access.

Second, decide on one person who will speak for the facility in the event of a crisis. Tom Griffiths, Ed.D., director of aquatics and safety officer for athletics for Penn State University in University Park, Pa., recommends assigning a recreation or aquatics director to this position. “You don’t want lifeguards to speak to the press,” he says.

Spokespeople should be credible and articulate, says Kevin Hoffman, director of member services at the Park District Risk Management Agency in Wheaton, Ill. They should be comfortable in front of cameras, know the organization well, be briefed by the crisis team and prepared to field questions.

Lastly, rehearse the post-crisis EAP on a regular basis. “You can have a plan, but if you don’t practice what you’re going to do or train your spokespeople on those kinds of things, you won’t be as good at it [when it happens],” Hoffman says.

Set it in motion
As soon as a crisis occurs, the post-crisis EAP should be put in motion. Close the facility and have the person in charge go through the checklist in the crisis kit to ensure all steps are followed accordingly.

One of the most important steps is to gather information, Griffiths says. The fact-gathering should be done almost immediately. The longer the wait, the less accurate the information will be. “Get everybody in the room and recount in writing what took place, without taking responsibility, without finger pointing. Just state the facts,” he says. The information should be dated and signed.

The same attitude applies to police investigations. Don’t assign blame and don’t assume guilt. Hoffman says one female lifeguard told police, “I freaked out.” When asked to explain further, she detailed her actions: She saw the person below the water, and used her rescue tube and brought him to the side. Investigators asked, isn’t that what she was trained to do? Only then did the guard realize she had followed correct procedure. “She was in such shock and that was her initial reaction,” he says. “But you can imagine what someone saying, ‘I freaked out’ looks like on the police report or on the front page.”

Again, experts say role-playing is key to avoiding the “freak out” scenario. After practicing a rescue, lifeguards should be taken aside and questioned as if the police or investigator were there. The lifeguards should be trained to tell the truth, offering no speculations, says Ron Gilbert, attorney and chairman of the Foundation for Aquatic Injury Prevention in Fenton, Mich.

Hoffman also says part of the EAP should include designating a staff member to identify nonemployee witnesses as quickly as possible. “Get a name and phone number, if nothing else,” he says. “Obviously, they can provide some future verification of what occurred.”

Putting the chain of events together to make a clear story requires gathering this information well. Griffiths says going back for a more in-depth interview a day or two later also is a good idea, especially if the person is very emotional the first day.

Keep staff afloat
After the emergency frenzy, reality starts to sink in. At this point, managers need to assess their staff’s mental state. After shutting down the facility and interviewing witnesses, managers should gather guards to discuss the incident, air concerns and collect more information.

White says one of the biggest mistakes is not letting the lifeguards talk with others. She once dealt with a post-drowning in which managers were so afraid, they forbade guards to talk to anyone. “They were not to even mention it,” she recalls. “They had been told, ‘You’re not to talk to the press. You’re not to talk to each other. You’re not to talk to your parents.’ It was almost as if the event didn’t happen. These guards were, for weeks on end, trying to deal with this solely by themselves. It was a real disservice to the lifeguard staff.”

While guards should not speak to anyone outside the incident, White says they should be allowed to talk with parents, a trusted individual such as a pastor, or a close friend. Surprisingly, however, guards’ friends can be the least supportive. According to White, many misunderstanding friends have the attitude: “Since it’s a drowning at your pool and you’re a lifeguard, obviously you’ve done something wrong or this wouldn’t have happened.” She adds, “Teenagers can be pretty brutal, and that’s one of the biggest things we’ve run into.” So be prepared for guards to need support from their aquatics peers.

Allowing guards to informally talk about the incident helps them deal with it better, White notes. It also provides a forum in which they can learn from their actions. Still, bringing in an outside professional is advisable.

“You need to have an adequate counselor come talk to them and make sure they don’t self-destruct,” Gilbert says. He recommends having someone on hand within 30 minutes after the incident.

Those directly involved may be invited to take a week off from work to recover. This should not be regarded as punishment or suspension to either the employee or the other staff. “Some people take longer than others,” White says. “There are some who never lifeguard again. They quit because they just can’t deal with it. Other individuals really like that structure of getting back into a routine.” The ultimate plan should be decided with the help of a skilled manager and outside counseling.

Beat the press
While managers and family members may give guards solace, the media often will not. Not long after a crisis, cameras and reporters flock to the scene, trying to get a shot of EMTs leading a stretcher to the ambulance. They’ll also try to interview witnesses, distraught family members and lifeguards. This is one of the most delicate times of a post-crisis. How you handle it will affect the way the community (and possible jurors) judge your facility.

Before letting the news go to press, Hoffman says, “be prepared with a plan. What you do in the first 24 to 48 hours will often determine the outcome. If your reputation is tarnished in the course of bad reporting, that’s very difficult to turn around.”

Here’s where having the designated spokesperson from your post-crisis EAP becomes so important. All questions and interviews should be redirected to this spokesperson, experts say. Anyone who is not the spokesperson should direct the media to that person. But again, this should be handled properly. “They should not say, ‘no comment,’” White says. “They should frame [the answer] like, ‘I’m not the one who can provide you with this information, but here’s the name and contact information of someone who can.’” Anything else, including “no comment,” may show up in print or on air and make the facility look guilty.

After gathering information, a prepared statement should be issued to the media and community. Experts disagree on how much time should pass before this statement is given. Griffiths says a week could pass before a statement can be made. This prevents any misinformation from being released. However, Hoffman warns that waiting too long can invite trouble. “If you don’t give the media something, they’ll speculate or will start to talk to anybody. They’ll look for the weakest link in your system or highlight the suffering. They’ll just deal with the horrific nature of the tragedy.”

Whenever it is given, the statement should make clear that proper protocols and steps were taken. Any lapses should not be admitted publicly. And while some lawyers would suggest otherwise, Griffiths says the statement also should mention changes and additional precautions made to further safety.

A factual release with sympathy is ideal. Experts say expressing sorrow or sympathy can be done without admitting fault. A strictly facts statement with no feelings can come across as insensitive. Issue the release late in the day, on a day when news is less slow, Hoffman suggests. This keeps the incident lower key. “Their job is to make it visual and compelling, and it sells,” he says.

In addition, Hoffman suggests accommodating the reporters so that they, too, can do their jobs right. Finding a place for them to set up, providing logistical support, water and access to restrooms can make their jobs, and yours, easier. “The more comfortable you make folks, the better shake they’ll give you,” he says.

Maintaining a positive relationship with the local media in general also will help a facility through a tragedy. Familiarizing the media with the facility and developing a good reputation will result in a more sympathetic report. In some cases, a reporter who respects the facility will go back and set an incorrectly reported story straight.

Overall, a drowning in a guarded facility is never good news. But the way it’s handled afterward can make all the difference. Says Griffiths, “Just because there was a death at the facility doesn’t mean it was a drowning or that the staff was guilty or negligent.”