Most outdoor public swimming pools are pulling the plug now, ending what has been a long, hot season's worth of summer fun.
But pool owners are keeping an eye on a new drowning detection system now being tested indoors at four high schools in Minnesota.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates reports.
Two weeks ago, three unattended children slipped into the water at Salt Lake County's Centennial Pool. Two, ages 3 and 5, were underwater for about 30 seconds before life guards rescued them.
Fortunately the incident was only a near-drowning. The kids are okay now.
The CDC says six people drown in swimming pools every day. Many occur in pools staffed with certified professional lifeguards.
But a lifeguard can only watch so much at one time. And it only takes a few seconds for someone to slip underwater.
That's what happened here at Centennial Pool with three unattended children whose parents were across the street playing softball.
GENE MCINTYRE, S.L. COUNTY AQUATIC DIRECTOR: "LIFEGUARDS WERE WATCHING THIS. THEY THOUGHT THE KIDS WERE JUST IN THERE PLAYING AND THEY WERE DOING FINE. THEN THEY SCANNED AGAIN AND REALIZED THEY WEREN'T FINE AND WE HAD GUARDS IN THE WATER IMMEDIATELY."
Incidents like this prompted four U.S. schools to trying out a new drowning detection system which acts like a third eye for lifeguards.
Underwater, computerized cameras watch for trouble.
The system is not fooled by shadows or reflections. It knows which movements are swimmers and which are not.
If somebody underwater fails to move for ten seconds, or a fluctuating body shows signs of unconsciousness, an alert sounds and lifeguards are notified by pager exactly where the victim is located.
GENE MCINTYRE: "THE NEW IDEA ON THE NEW TECHNOLOGY IS BASICALLY LOOKING FROM THE SURFACE DOWN UNDER THE WATER. THAT'S ACTUALLY A PART THE GUARD DOES NOT SEE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT UNDERWATER."
This is actual video from the new system of Jean-Francois LeRoy, a French teenager who almost drowned during a lap swim at his community pool.
JEAN-FRANCOIS LEROY/NEAR DROWNING VICTIM: "I WAS DOING MY LAST LAP SWIM AND SOMETHING WENT WRONG. THEY LATER RELAYED TO ME THAT I FELL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL."
Poseidon, as it's called, does not replace lifeguards. In fact, it can only be used in pools staffed with lifeguards.
But it's expensive. Salt Lake County Recreation Aquatic director Gene McIntyre says Salt Lake County right now simply cannot afford this "third" eye.
GENE MCINTYRE: "WE'VE GOT SEVENTEEN FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY. WE'RE LOOKING AT OVER A MILLION DOLLARS. THE TECHNOLOGY IS SUPER. IT'S PROVEN THAT IT WORKS. WE'RE RIGHT NOW UP AGAINST A COST FACTOR."
IF the cost comes down, Salt Lake County says it might consider phasing in the new technology a little at a time. But right now, it's beyond their budget.
Sept. 3, 2001--
