Chandler pools report 82% drop in rescues with ‘Swim Safe 48’ rules in place

CHANDLER, AZ — Chandler Aquatics calls this its best summer on record, crediting new safety rules with the significant drop in pool rescues.

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“Over 165,000 people visited our pools this summer and it was a safe, fun summer,” said Chris Smith, Chandler Aquatics superintendent.

Attendance looked similar this year, but what families experienced was different, and parents ABC15 heard from had mixed reviews.

Back in May, ABC15 Chandler reporter Molly Hudson visited Hamilton Aquatic Center to see the new ‘Swim Safe 48’ program in action.

Any child under 48 inches received a blue wristband and had to stay in the shallow end within arm’s reach of an adult.

All kids who wanted to use the play features had to pass a swim test, which included jumping in the pool, treading water, and swimming across the pool.

“Really we are not concerned about the kids when they take the swim test at the beginning of the day, we are more concerned an hour, two hours into their visit and the fatigue factor sets in, that’s why you really need the parents to stay within arms reach of their kids,” Smith said.

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Several months later, Smith says the program was a success.

“We had an 82% decrease in rescues this year, 117 last year, and only 21 this season,” Smith said.

Smith attributes the drop directly to ‘Swim Safe 48’, lifeguards, and community support.

“This whole rules was a shift to preventative life guarding and that just makes their job easier, up on the stand, knowing that the parents are the front line and able to help their kids,” Smith said.

Looking ahead to next summer, Smith said the rules will remain in place, with a goal of cutting the number of rescues in half.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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