City Releases Investigation Results on Alleged Near Drowning at Kinsmen Sportsplex
Chad Pimlott
The City of Moose Jaw has sent out a news release regarding a frightening event that happened at the Kinsmen Sportsplex swimming pool on Saturday Feb 17th.
MJ Independent reported on a scene that took place at Monday's City Council meeting. A young lady, Stacey Houghton, stood in front of everyone in attendance and told a story in which her son nearly drowned.
The City's Parks and Recreation Department conducted a thorough investigation regarding the alleged incident. They stated that they take "all citizen concerns seriously".
Among the findings:
"The City does not dispute there may have been a concerning incident, but there is no conclusive evidence to support the claim that a child was in danger of drowning."
"No medical assistance was required, nor requested, for the child in question."
"Sportsplex swimming pool equipment (including waterslide platform railings) was inspected and found to be in compliance with government safety standards."
Furthermore, Ted Schaeffer, Parks & Rec. Director added, "swimmer safety is our number one priority at the Kinsmen Sportsplex pool, which is licensed by the Province of Saskatchewan and operates according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health Swimming Pool Design and Operational Standards. This includes having the required number of lifeguards supervising the pool based on bather load as outlined in the guidelines".
All lifeguards, the release stated, are certified at the National Lifeguard level through the Lifesaving Society and are trained in Standard First Aid and have CPR-C certification. They also attend regular in-service training sessions to ensure they continue to meet the requirements of the position.
The City of Moose Jaw says it has policies and procedures in place to ensure swimmers are using the appropriate areas of the pool based on their skill level, and additional signage has been added to help make those policies and procedures clear.
MJ Independent will publish an interview with Stacey Houghton shortly.