Anyone else's pool cracking down on "lightning" -- making people get out of the water at the slightest hint?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not the rule that is causing the annoyance but the overabundance of thunderstorms this year. Every single freaking day. It is too much.

It’s not uncommon to have late afternoon storms - tho I agree they seem more severe… but at our pool people are bothered by the automatic system which is more strict - sometimes going off when there’s no visible clouds or audible thunder, because it detected lightening 10 miles away. Personally, I understand how lightening works and that it can move quickly, but I understand people’s frustration that a quick moving storm that went north of the district could shut down the pool for an extended period of time even tho it’s leaving quickly and did not have lightening near our pool… under the lifeguard system we would be unaffected.

I’m also amazed that people are frustrated by the new requirement that we leave the whole pool area not just got out of the area. I understand it, I’m curious about what other pools do.

Leave the area as in move to an actual building?

My kids were lifeguards at Chesterbrook for years, and the moron that manages the pool used to have them sit under the covered deck/cupola. Since my kids are not morons, they would go sit in their cars or the locker rooms (which is the only fully enclosed building.

There's a fenced area around the pool and they just say you have to leave that area. There's no much elsewhere to go, so it is kind of uncomfortable. There's a flight of stairs people sit on, or they go wait in their cars, or just give up and go home. In the past, it was bsaed on lifeguard discretion and you could just go and sit on your chair and have an ice cream or whatever, while you wait.

Interestingly, I have heard thunder and the alarm hasn't gone off and the lifeguards dont' lift a finger. I think the system has advantages, including removing the power of discretion from lifeguards who I'm sure, if it's left up to them, get a lot of nonsense if they hear thunder and no on else does.

That's pretty unsafe and pointless. Might as well stay in the water and risk it.

[Anonymous]

Summer evenings calling for storms are not good times to head to the pool. Go during the day or on weekends.

[Anonymous]

Making the standard fuzzier means trying to get a teenager to make a safety judgment call well beyond their expertise. Hear thunder, blow whistle is a clear easy safety standard for a 16 year old employee to implement. They're always going to err on the side of caution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not the rule that is causing the annoyance but the overabundance of thunderstorms this year. Every single freaking day. It is too much.

It’s not uncommon to have late afternoon storms - tho I agree they seem more severe… but at our pool people are bothered by the automatic system which is more strict - sometimes going off when there’s no visible clouds or audible thunder, because it detected lightening 10 miles away. Personally, I understand how lightening works and that it can move quickly, but I understand people’s frustration that a quick moving storm that went north of the district could shut down the pool for an extended period of time even tho it’s leaving quickly and did not have lightening near our pool… under the lifeguard system we would be unaffected.

I’m also amazed that people are frustrated by the new requirement that we leave the whole pool area not just got out of the area. I understand it, I’m curious about what other pools do.

Leave the area as in move to an actual building?

My kids were lifeguards at Chesterbrook for years, and the moron that manages the pool used to have them sit under the covered deck/cupola. Since my kids are not morons, they would go sit in their cars or the locker rooms (which is the only fully enclosed building.

There's a fenced area around the pool and they just say you have to leave that area. There's no much elsewhere to go, so it is kind of uncomfortable. There's a flight of stairs people sit on, or they go wait in their cars, or just give up and go home. In the past, it was bsaed on lifeguard discretion and you could just go and sit on your chair and have an ice cream or whatever, while you wait.

Interestingly, I have heard thunder and the alarm hasn't gone off and the lifeguards dont' lift a finger. I think the system has advantages, including removing the power of discretion from lifeguards who I'm sure, if it's left up to them, get a lot of nonsense if they hear thunder and no on else does.

That's pretty unsafe and pointless. Might as well stay in the water and risk it.

Probably why they changed it...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not the rule that is causing the annoyance but the overabundance of thunderstorms this year. Every single freaking day. It is too much.

This

+1 it's been a lot, and that's frustrating, but we just don't go to the pool when there are thunderstorms predicted.

[Anonymous]

Ours makes us fully exit the property when there’s a large adjacent clubhouse that they could let people sit in. It’s annoying. We started using some kind of automated system this summer but it appears they’ve taken it down, not sure if it was causing confusion or what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not the rule that is causing the annoyance but the overabundance of thunderstorms this year. Every single freaking day. It is too much.

It’s not uncommon to have late afternoon storms - tho I agree they seem more severe… but at our pool people are bothered by the automatic system which is more strict - sometimes going off when there’s no visible clouds or audible thunder, because it detected lightening 10 miles away. Personally, I understand how lightening works and that it can move quickly, but I understand people’s frustration that a quick moving storm that went north of the district could shut down the pool for an extended period of time even tho it’s leaving quickly and did not have lightening near our pool… under the lifeguard system we would be unaffected.

I’m also amazed that people are frustrated by the new requirement that we leave the whole pool area not just got out of the area. I understand it, I’m curious about what other pools do.

Leave the area as in move to an actual building?

My kids were lifeguards at Chesterbrook for years, and the moron that manages the pool used to have them sit under the covered deck/cupola. Since my kids are not morons, they would go sit in their cars or the locker rooms (which is the only fully enclosed building.

There's a fenced area around the pool and they just say you have to leave that area. There's no much elsewhere to go, so it is kind of uncomfortable. There's a flight of stairs people sit on, or they go wait in their cars, or just give up and go home. In the past, it was bsaed on lifeguard discretion and you could just go and sit on your chair and have an ice cream or whatever, while you wait.

Interestingly, I have heard thunder and the alarm hasn't gone off and the lifeguards dont' lift a finger. I think the system has advantages, including removing the power of discretion from lifeguards who I'm sure, if it's left up to them, get a lot of nonsense if they hear thunder and no on else does.

That's pretty unsafe and pointless. Might as well stay in the water and risk it.

Probably why they changed it...

Yes. But it's amazing how stupid so many people are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our pool uses a weather app and gets alerted if lightening is within a certain distance. it doesn't matter someone sees it.

It seems this should be standard. One approach.

Op imagine if the pool didn't close and something happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pool uses a weather app and gets alerted if lightening is within a certain distance. it doesn't matter someone sees it.

It seems this should be standard. One approach.

Op imagine if the pool didn't close and something happened.

That's why I think it's a good idea...

:banging head against wall:

[Anonymous]

It's overkill. There are very few lightening deaths per year in the US.

https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-fatalities

[Anonymous]

This is the way sports are cleared off the field and fans from the area/stands.

Thunder comes after lightning. So using thunder as a basis like we did in the 90s is not the right way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's overkill. There are very few lightening deaths per year in the US.

https://www.weather.gov/safety/


Hmm wonder why? Go ahead and pet your kid swim, swing a golf club, etc. when lightning is present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm torn on it--they're using some automatic system, so no one can argue. On the one hand, lightning is real and dangerous. on the other hand, it's closing a lot.

Won't crack down on nasty swimwear, will crack down on weather. :smdh:

What is your expectation? The way warning systems work for lightning strikes and especially in the U.S. where insurance companies dictate acceptable risk, only an infinitesimal risk is allowed. It’s the same reason we put kids in car seats and put on seat belts every single time. Most of the time they do nothing to protect us, until the one time they do.

*sigh*

It’s like you didn’t bother to read…

It’s like you can’t articulate risk tolerance. The pools are operating at near zero risk tolerance for lightning strikes. If OP is fine with a 1:10^7 risk of lightning strike, then they should go home and swim in their own pool. Insurance companies are not ok with the risk, so that is why policies are in place. Get it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm torn on it--they're using some automatic system, so no one can argue. On the one hand, lightning is real and dangerous. on the other hand, it's closing a lot.

Won't crack down on nasty swimwear, will crack down on weather. :smdh:

What is your expectation? The way warning systems work for lightning strikes and especially in the U.S. where insurance companies dictate acceptable risk, only an infinitesimal risk is allowed. It’s the same reason we put kids in car seats and put on seat belts every single time. Most of the time they do nothing to protect us, until the one time they do.

*sigh*

It’s like you didn’t bother to read…

It’s like you can’t articulate risk tolerance. The pools are operating at near zero risk tolerance for lightning strikes. If OP is fine with a 1:10^7 risk of lightning strike, then they should go home and swim in their own pool. Insurance companies are not ok with the risk, so that is why policies are in place. Get it?

It's also the potential magnitude of the risk. A pool full of children potentially killed by a lightning strike? The insurance/pools will heavily heavily err on caution.

[Anonymous]

It's been 30 min clear the water for thunder. And 1 hrs clear the water and the pool deck for lightning for decades at our pool. The weather had been stormier this summer than I ever remember it. Before it was still rainy but less lightening.