Teamwork in Action: Lifeguards and EMTs Practice Patient Care Transfers

Prince William County Parks and Recreation takes pride in the fact that our lifeguards are highly trained and certified for their job. On that note, we recently partnered with Prince William County Fire and Rescue (Station 518) who conducted two separate training sessions with our lifeguards so that they can better understand and practice the transfer of patient care in the event of an emergency.

The main focus of the trainings was on transitioning patient care from lifeguards in case of a significant life event occurring. These events might include anything from head injuries to respiratory emergencies, to cardiac arrest.

“Our focus was on sharing personnel capabilities and equipment between the lifeguard staff and the first arriving Fire and Rescue units,” said Lt. Casey Hennessey with Station 518, Prince William County Fire and Rescue. 

Lt. Hennessey noted how impressed their team was with the lifeguards’ knowledge, skills and abilities. 

“The lifeguards’ consistent training was evident as their skills were second nature to them. It was an excellent experience for Fire and Rescue units to witness how these professionals were able to remove an injured person from a pool and administer care.”

While the lifeguards learned a lot from the Fire and Rescue team, Station 518 also learned from the lifeguards.

“Though we may not run many pool-related injuries, we learned a new technique from the lifeguards to safely remove a patient from the water. This may prove useful in the event we respond to a private residence’s pool,” said Lt. Hennessey.

Throughout the training, members of Station 518 were able to share firsthand knowledge, experience, and techniques from their perspective in order to assist lifeguards improve and build upon their skills.

During the CPR simulation, lifeguards were able to utilize Station 518’s training mannequin and demonstrate their skillsets amongst their peers and the Fire and Rescue team.

Both teams were able to seamlessly integrate during CPR and transition the “patient” for transport. At the completion of the scenarios, all staff involved were able to give feedback and lessons learned. 

“The lifeguards and staff did an excellent job displaying their knowledge, skills and abilities and obtaining patient information. This information is key to a swift transition/transport by Fire and Rescue. Having a patient’s name, date of birth, allergies, emergency contact, and age (minor or adult), is a critical step in a timely handoff,” said Hennessey.

Lt. Hennessey said the training has benefited all parties involved as everyone now understands what to expect from one another. She emphasized that repeated training is how we all learn. 

“We try to train like we would experience a scene in real life. Simulating training as if it's real, forces personnel to encounter different scenarios that are not typically taught in a classroom environment. It's always best to make mistakes during training and learn from those mistakes. That's why we train every day, multiple times per day,” she added. “With this being said, we now know that we will be entering a well-run emergency scene focused on scene safety and patient care due to these coordinated training scenarios between the pool and Fire and Rescue.” 

Lt. Hennessey also noted how impressed the Fire and Rescue team was with the young professionals who are charged with the safety and care of our loved ones at the pool.

“I believe these first responders should get more praise and credit for the job they do. In some eyes, they may be seen as 16-18-year-olds, but these young professionals are training for significant life events that will have a lasting impact,” she added. 

About 25 lifeguards participated in the trainings and because of the success, more trainings are being planned for the future.