We never opened. No swim lessons, no junior lifeguards, no recreational swimming. Alameda County (Calif.) finally allowed outdoor swimming as of August 28, 2020.

It’s been six months, and we’re still under a Shelter-in-Place Order due to COVID-19. This week the air-quality index finally returned to a “Good” scale; however, the California wildfires continue, and the State is only at the beginning of this years’ fire season. Some of our neighborhood stores are still boarded up due to the possibility of continued civil unrest. And lastly, there is a very good chance that our country will be facing an economic downturn in the coming year.

The tasks at hand

At home, I switched duties with my wife, and stayed home for the morning to participate and facilitate in my son’s education: 100% distance learning. This is the memory I have of his first day of school: We’re up on time. I got him fed and dressed (challenging, considering my son broke his lower leg on the Saturday before school). His workstation is set-up, school supplies ready to be used. I believe we’re set. School starts, and I see 24 faces packed on my son’s tiny Chromebook. All seems fine. Mrs. Perez introduces herself and begins to ask the students to introduce themselves. I’m thinking, “We can do this. I can do this.” Then suddenly, one of his classmates just starts screaming and doesn’t stop. Pandemonium ensues, and the first school session is cut short. We’re a month into the 2020-2021 school year, and I am reliving second grade with my son, and its sheer chaos.

My immediate takeaway: “New Math” is hard. Penmanship is brutal. And I would rather go to my own tooth extraction than work with my son on his keyboarding and writing composition. I’m not going to lie: It’s hard, incredibly hard.

I do second grade homework and my own work most of the morning, and then leave and spend the afternoon at my office and continue to work. I work until I get “it” done. Whatever “it” is, I just work to get “it” done. Everyday.

Last week, “it” was securing enough N95’s and getting them distributed to all 73 worksites within the agency due to air quality being “Unhealthy” on the Air Quality Index (AQI) from heavy wildfire smoke and falling ash. The week before that, half of my permanent Lifeguard Service staff were assigned to the removal of all lifeguard supplies at several aquatics facilities that fell in the potential path of the closest wildfire -- the SCU Complex Fire. Prior to that, my team began to provide COVID-19 site assessments/audits for all 73 worksites.

So much work to be done -- and none of it is aquatics.

It’s easy to lose sight of who I am and what I do: I’m an aquatics manager who didn’t have an aquatics season. My plans for virtual school visits are ready and in the queue. We’re waiting for the challenge of distance learning to subside (which I don’t believe will happen soon), but we are ready. My staff will continue to conduct COVID-19 site assessments/audits. The other half of my permanent staff is preparing to facilitate our agency’s EMT recertification class for our Fire and Park personnel. I will continue to be the agency’s Logistics Section Chief and meet the requests of the agency and the challenges brought forth by the ongoing pandemic, the immediate wildfires, and unhealthy air quality.

When I think of what I can do now in aquatics, these tasks come up:

We secured funding for our senior swim program, a partnership with Palma Ceia Baptist Church and Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD). The funding covers swim passes so seniors can take advantage of lap swimming and water walking at one of HARD’s indoor facilities. The facility is still closed due to the SIP order. However, I can work with the senior group to get them registered, so when the SIP order is lifted, they can receive their swim passes and immediately begin. My only concern is that if the seniors need to reserve their swim lane via phone or computer, will they have the means to do that? If so, great. If not, then we’ll figure this out and help them.

Outdoor swimming is allowed, which means lap swimming. I need to figure out a way to have open-water lap swimming at all my facilities.

I spoke with several aquatics professionals who successfully ran day camps with no COVID-19 outbreaks. My team will need to figure out how to expand our junior lifeguard program and our aquatic adventure camps to as many facilities as possible.

Lastly, I need to contact the county’s Environmental Health department about pool facility walkthroughs. I need to collaborate with them so I can get them to advocate for lifeguard in-service training, lifeguard certification and recertification classes. If the industry is going to survive this crisis, we need the ability to recertify existing and train new lifeguards. I believe that if we get Environmental Health’s support, they could advocate with County Health to get the SIP order modified so that it includes guidelines on how to run a lifeguarding class safely and effectively.

Managing my outlook

So much has changed since this pandemic started, and so much will continue to change until it is over. I know some will disagree with what I am about to say, however I need to say my piece.

I am fearful. I fearful as an essential worker, that I could bring the virus home and infect my wife and my son. I am fearful that I could infect my father who is immunocompromised, and actions could bring his death. I am fearful as the leader of my department that my decisions could infect or harm my staff. Every day, I question my decisions and choices.

But I refuse to let fear paralyze me. It would be so easy to step away and let someone else do the heavy lifting, to make the hard decisions, but it would go against everything that I am. I am an Aquatics Manager; I work in my community as a public servant and as an advocate for the Aquatics Industry.

Please, be safe, keep moving forward, and know that you are not alone.