Public swimming pool lifeguards across Australia are about to receive a significant boost to their emergency response capabilities. Weaving in new artificial intelligence (AI) technology will significantly improve their capacity to respond quickly and effectively. RJ Houston from RLSA just announced a new creative system. Today, this new technology instantly alerts lifeguards to incidents they would have been unaware of otherwise. This campaign will outfit 120 municipal pools around the country with state-of-the-art drowning-prevention technology. These innovative tools were created in collaboration with Lynxight, a global market leader in drowning prevention.
The technology has been successfully installed at the Stirling Leisure-Inglewood pool in Perth for more than a year now. It is a testament to its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. This comprehensive and innovative approach to life-saving safety measures will help first responders respond more efficiently in the future, protecting against tragic drowning incidents.
The Role of AI in Lifeguarding
The AI system works by interpreting thousands of overhead scenes from different angles in the pool’s enclosure. By acting in this manner, it can identify hazardous situations when swimmers are in trouble and notify lifeguarding staff right away. Duncan Hutton, the City of Stirling’s coordinator of recreational facilities operations, believes such technology has the capacity to be a real game changer.
“This system is really a superpower and additional tool for our lifeguards — we’re not replacing anyone,” – Duncan Hutton.
Hutton shared one story of how the AI encouraged a lifeguard to reexamine a scenario that seemed perfectly fine at first glance. The lifeguard was able to respond quickly, get in the water and save a struggling swimmer, turning a dangerous situation into a rescue rather than a tragedy.
“Our lifeguard got notified initially … luckily, during the rescue we had a member of the public actually swim over the top,” Hutton added. “But by having this system, our lifeguard was there pretty much a few seconds after that and was able to get the rest of the team to assist in the rescue very, very quickly.”
New AI technology raises guard support to level lifeguard AI. They experience a lot of stress due to the dangers that come with their job.
“They have what we call chronic unease, where they come into work, and they’re constantly in a state of elevated stress because of the risk that someone could drown on that shift,” Houston stated.
Enhancing Confidence and Reducing Stress
Lifeguards are just beginning to harness this new technology to improve and enhance daily operations. Based on evidence, we know that this transition process has increased staff confidence by nearly 34 percent. Houston pointed out that in addition to the added support, both lifeguards and pool managers have expressed feeling more competent with this bolstered backup.
“And so having this extra layer of support, we’re already seeing … that lifeguards are feeling more confident, pool managers are feeling more confident, everyone is sleeping a little bit better at night the night before a shift,” Houston remarked.
Whether expressed through relief at a phone call or smiling after a rescue, this confidence is key to the cognitive health of lifeguards. It prepares them to offer strong supervision and to intervene when it is warranted.
Expert Opinions on AI in Lifeguarding
According to Professor Paul Salmon from the University of the Sunshine Coast, that’s because this technology works. He has some grave concerns about its implications. In fact, he described it as one of the “more positive uses of AI.” He cautioned not to get too dependent on these systems.
“The intention is to assist humans in doing their job and it seems to be a technology that is working and can work,” Professor Salmon acknowledged.
Yet, in those comments he warned us about the need to consider how to address new risks that come with growing dependence on technology.
“I think there needs to be careful thought about how we manage some of those associated emergent risks as people increasingly use the technology,” he cautioned. “How are we going to prevent over-reliance on the technology? How are we going to prevent skill degradation in lifeguards, in detecting people who are drowning in a pool?”
