SPONSOR: Schmidt
This bill establishes "Grant Brown's Show Me a Lifeguard Law".
The bill provides that any operator of a summer or day camp in this state must ensure that employees of the summer or day camp are fully trained and certified, when certification exists as an industry standard, in operating equipment used in specialized recreational activities offered by the camp.
Any summer or day camp offering aquatic activities must provide an individual who has a current lifeguard training certificate and must meet the following requirements:
(1) A ratio of two lifeguards for the first 25 children and one additional lifeguard for every 15 children or portion thereof;
(2) A lifeguard chair positioning each lifeguard at least six feet from the ground;
(3) A mandatory swim test in a public swimming pool before aquatic activities begin.
If a child is unable to swim across the widest part of the pool, a properly fitted life jacket is required for that child at all times while engaging in aquatic activities. The bill sets provisions governing the life jacket requirements.
The bill prohibits participation in hot tubs, spas, saunas or steam rooms, portable wading pools, and other unfiltered and nondisinfected containments of water as aquatic activities.
The bill requires any operator of a summer or day camp to establish and retain onsite a written site-specific emergency plan, outlining procedures to address several emergency situations described in the bill. Summer or day camp employees must be trained in implementing the emergency plan procedures.
The bill requires all camp counselors and any director employed by a summer or day camp to be trained in CPR and in the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Additionally, the bill requires any specialized recreational activity offered by a summer or day camp to be inspected annually by the relevant state department, and records of all inspections conducted must be maintained.
Statutes affected: