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Hey Moderators, my last post should probably be moved to a new thread altogether.... don't you think?

Well, I could fill a page with how the entire audit goes.... but, in general it's like this:

A professional safety auditor from the risk-management firm (they deal only in aquatic safety) shows up dressed just like a normal guest.  Armed with a well hidden video camera, the auditor documents several guards as they perform their duties.  There are specific things they watch for i.e. head movement, professional behavior, safety equipment, etc. etc. etc.   

The auditor will then "announce" him/her self to the leadership staff.  Then they may perform a "vigilance" audit.  This entails using another person to place a silouhette (sp?) that appears just as a lifeless person would on the bottom of a pool.  The guard on stand (that does not know an audit is taking place) has 20 seconds to recognize the "emergency" (from the guard stand, the guard will not know it's not really a person until he/she touches it) and an additional 10 seconds to get to the "person". 

The auditor will also conduct a test in which the guard(s) performs every part of a rescue with the exception of dialing 911.  This includes removal from water, CPR, Oxygen Therapy, AED use, and other basic life support. 

Keep in mind that each of these steps is recorded on video, usually in full view of the public, and later reviewed by the entire staff.  This is a tremendous amount of pressure and accountability, especially when the average age of waterpark guard is considered.  Exceptional guards are considered for a "golden guard" award, and receive recognition on the licensing entity's website.

The remainder of the audit focuses on the facility, the leadership team, record keeping, and other logistical items. 

If you want to know more about guards that are held to a different standard than your average red cross or YMCA guard (that's not a dig on those agencies, just pointing out that there are marked differences) you can check out www.jellis.com   

The rec plex in town utilizes the same guarding program, as does Splash Country.  As good as the EA program is (best available, in my opinion, and as revealed by their effective history) it is still, of course, only as good as the people implementing it.  It's my opinion (not worth too much) that both White Water and the Rec Plex do a fantastic job of implementing the EA program to it's fullest.  But don't take my word for it.... I'm not sure how much they'd show you, but the audit scores speak for themselves. 

I'm not looking to encourage any bad behavior here, but I thought I'd share some of the silly and at times, down right dangerous, things I've seen in my years at the park.  I've thrown in a few "Cliff Claven" bits that most folks may not know as well:

The phone soak:  Guard at top of the Tropical Twister calls Guard at top of Bermuda Triangle and maintains pointless conversation while Guard at top of Carribean Plunge dumps large cooler of ice water on Guard at top of Bermuda Triangle.  This is certain to bring 1. the laughter of nearly everyone who witnesses it, and 2.  a less than thrilled guard lead arriving to refill the now empty cooler.  This prank is best if the water is ice cold!

The "get in the water for the kid" prank:  This was at the old paradise plunge, the tall body slide that emptied into a pool.  The guard at the top gives the signal for a small child, that will be wearing a life jacket.  This is the signal for the guard at the bottom to get in the pool to "catch" the small swimmer (or non-swimmer).  As the guard navigates the steps into the pool, the guard at the top sends down a grown man or woman, who will arrive in the pool and give the unsuspecting guard one heck of a funny "Why the heck are you in the pool with me?" look.  The "larger" the adult, the better this prank was.  We did this at Typhoon tunnel as well, but not near as often since the pool guard had to use the ladder to exit the pool.

Can you imagine using one of the foods trays to ride paradise plunge?  Neither can I..... Neither can I.

Skate boarding down the Twister slide... never done that, but have caught a few doing it.

The old waterfalls at the top of what was once hurricane rapids can be quite romantic..... "Excuse me folks... this area of the park is off-limits..."

If you pay attention before and after the park is open, you'll witness all sorts of wildlife on park.

Twister rafts in the wavepool.  This, is actually not all that rare for the occasional employee event. 

If you hold your hands just right over the various spouts in "little squirts", you can drench the unsuspecting lazy river guard.

It is said that the number of steps from the bottom to top of twister is the same year the slide was built.

The guards at White Water are often "audited".  This is video taped and can be very stressful as it includes an all-out emergency simulation while the park is open, and in plain view of the guests.  Failing an audit can mean losing your lifeguard license.  These audits are performed by a third party, and are carried out without any member of WW's staff knowing when one will be conducted. 

The waves of the wavepool are generated by powerful air turbines. 

I'm sure there's more, if I think of any I'll post them.... if anyone enjoys this sort of thing that is...

When I said "tube slide" it could easily have been misunderstood as the "tube" that was typhoon tunnel.  I used to love climbing up that thing to fetch the occasional stuck child out. 

I wasn't here then, but I'm told that my home park, WWB, was built amidst huge clouds of skepticism and predictions of failure.  The large hill in the park's center was literally built by bringing in lots of earth.  Most people at the time believed Branson would never be able to sustain a water park. 

And then it opened... and very quickly became one of the top ten waterparks in the country. 

I suppose the park could be re-located, but there is just so much history in it's current location. 

As HFEC grows, "HFEC owns, operates or partners in 20 properties in 9 states..." I think you will see even more large updates/additions to White Water.

By the time they were sold, those were some tired old slides.  Does anyone recall way back when the slide was a large tube slide and you had to carry large tubes all the way up the stairs?  This was way before I started at WW in 1998.  I've heard some of the more senior employees talk about them.

Waltzing Waters did indeed die.  Frederick, the piano player, died of a massive heart attack about two years ago.  With no one waiting to replace him, the show could not go on.  Sad.  He was a nice man with a nice wife.

This is just rumor.  But I think you'll see BT as the next slide to be replaced.  Also, I read lots of talk about expansion and being land locked.  Most people don't realize, the land directly behind the parking lot is all available.  Don't be surprised to see some of the parking lot gobbled up by expansion in the future.

I love the dark slide idea, with colored lighting and music/audio inside... But, I'd also love to see a flow rider.... and I'd love to see us triple the length of, and widen the lazy river.  BUT, I also know the raintree is in dire need of a rebuild on many of it's play interactions.

The bird's name is SPLASH!!!  And man, I haven't heard about the old beaver for a long, long time. 

Splash is still the mascot, comes out on occasion.  It is crazy hot inside that suit.

Those two beloved "streams" were actually the Hurricane Rapids, there were two in fact.  One on the East side and one on the West.  The East side was used most every day and the West used on busier days.  The staff referred to the two rapids as "river side" (East side) or "Paradise Side" (West Side).  River side because it was on the same side as the lazy river, and the other was on the same side as the then named Paradise Plunge, formerly white lightning, and others. 

These rapids were a huge hit.  Even more so, a huge hit with the Herschend children.  WW has never been a park prone to injury, but at the time, the few significant injuries that came from the park, usually came from the rapids.  So, alas, preference gives way to progress and although the slides are still there, they are full of gravel and landscaping and the plumbing is all but gone. 

The picture in my avatar is actually of the waterfall a rider would pass through on his first drop in the rapids after being dispatched. 

If the lifeguard was energetic, the rapids were a great post to have.  Lots of interaction with the guests, and you could spend much of your time in the water.  The rapids were fun because it was kinda like floating between temporarily private pools.  For this same reason, guards had to watch the pools to stop any non G-rated activity if ya know what I mean.

I was sad when we pulled the rapids, but it wasn't really up to me.