LIFEGUARDS GET LESSONS IN POOL SAFETY AND FIRST AID

Cape Girardeau firefighters shed their fire gear and boots Saturday morning and exchanged them for swimming trunks, as they instructed about 45 new lifeguards in poolside emergency medical operations.

Doug Gannon, manager of the Cape Central and Capaha Park pools, had asked the fire department to give a program to his lifeguards on blood-borne pathogens such as the AIDS virus and Hepatitis-B.

But in the course of his negotiations with department personnel, Saturday's training seminar evolved.

"This kind of thing allows the lifeguards to meet the people that are going to respond to an emergency at the pool, and to know what those people expect of them," said Gannon. "Hopefully, it will also teach the lifeguards to work together in emergency situations, to reduce response time by the fire department and ambulance service, and increase the victim's chance of survival."

Lt. Brad Golden, a paramedic and registered nurse with the fire department, told the group that the most important thing for them to keep in mind is their safety first.

"If you are injured while you are trying to help someone in the pool, you then become part of the problem; not a solution," he said. "You have to know your own limitations before you become too involved in a situation. Don't be afraid to call for help."

There are about 9,000 deaths annually in swimming pools, Golden said. But 80-90 percent of those deaths are alcohol-related.

"There are two ways people drown," said Golden. "Some people drown silently; others get really violent and thrash around."

Those who drown quietly can be in most potential danger, since the lifeguard will most likely to cause the injury.

But the objective of Saturday's lessons was the stabilization of the victim until the fire department and ambulance service arrives. Lifeguards were taught how to hold a person's head to prevent further head or neck injuries, suppress bleeding and how to make emergency extractions from the water.

After a brief lecture and a video tape about blood-borne pathogens, the lifeguards were split up into groups to go through several scenario stations set up by firefighters.

Some of the firefighters' children were "victims" for the exercises, their faces and bodies covered with makeup, reflecting their injuries.

Fire Chief Robert L. Ridgeway's son Josh was supposed to have fallen on the pavement near a diving board, cutting open his forehead. Lifeguards were instructed to calm the young man, stabilize his head and put pressure on the sizable would.

At another station, lifeguards worked in teams to rescue two people involved in a diving accident. One of the victims -- a mannequin -- was unconscious. The other, a firefighter's son, had a broken leg and could not swim. Lifeguards placed the mannequin on a backboard and lifted her out of the water, while others hoisted the boy on to the pool deck.

Another scenario featured a ball that had fallen while running on the pool deck, and possibly had suffered a neck injury.

"If something happens that you aren't sure about -- a near drowning, a fall where the person appears to be all right -- call us," urged Golden. "Put the monkey on our back. It can take a person who almost drowned up to three days to die. People who have accidents around pools need medical attention more often that not."

While they were at the pool, firefighters checked through the lifeguard's first aid kits that are kept poolside at all times.

"We're (the fire department) only about three-and-a-half to four minutes away from here," said Golden. "But those few minutes can make all the difference in the world."