4 days ago
VR Headset offers new way for Des Moines lifeguards to train
DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines Parks and Recreation has a VR headset that lifeguards at its public pools are now using to train.
Ian Knutsen, a Recreation Superintendent with Des Moines Parks and Recreation, said that the VR headset allows lifeguards to simulate real-life emergencies.
'Our VR headset is a really new tool that we've been utilizing. It uses virtual reality that shows actual like real-life scenarios at different areas. So water parks, lap lanes, and it shows a swimmer in distress. So that way our guards can see and react to what would be an act of drowning,' Knutsen said.
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The VR headset uses a program developed by the Red Cross to help develop the scanning skill, which involves watching the pool for swimmers exhibiting the signs of drowning.
Nick Shelton, a Recreation Supervisor with Des Moines Parks and Recreation, said that scanning is the most important skill lifeguards can have.
'That's the most important skill for a lifeguard because we really want to focus on preventative lifeguarding, not, you know, reactive lifeguard. We want to get there before the actual drowning happens, not after,' Shelton said.
Des Moines Parks and Recreation will open Ashworth, Nahas, Northwest, and Teachout Aquatic Center this Saturday, June 7th.
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