Emergency Action Plan (EAP)

An Emergency Action Plan details roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency (See Appendix E)

The Emergency Action Plan is the responsibility of a leisure provider when a third-party pool is being used.  The responsibility for maintaining a safe swimming pool and building lies with the leisure provider when this is the case.

All staff must receive an induction on the EAP to ensure that they understand their role and responsibilities during an emergency. This must be recorded by the school, signed by the person delivering the training, and kept on file.

Safety signs, including arrangements in the event of an emergency, need to be clearly visible in relevant areas of the pool area and pupils need to be made aware of these.  School staff in conjunction with leisure provider staff, need to ensure that, for pupils for whom English is not their first language, those who are visually impaired or have difficulty in reading, understand all safety signs.

Regardless of the type of pool being used (leisure provider/school pool/private school pool), all school classes should run emergency practice drills to evacuate the water and summon assistance during the first lesson of each term. These should then be carried out regularly afterwards in order that both staff and pupils recognise and understand emergency signals and procedures and know how to respond to them.  Space (foil) blankets should be available near emergency exits.  

Consideration needs to be given to:

• Pupils leaving the pool during an emergency with bare feet,
• Pupils with additional needs or physical disabilities.

Exit doors and signs, fire-fighting equipment, and alarm points need to be checked regularly to ensure that they are working and accessible.

All fire doors must be able to open without the aid of a key at all times the pool is in use. These should be checked at the start of every lesson.

Safety equipment such as poles, throwing ropes or throw bags, first aid provision (such as an emergency blanket) and emergency alarms need to be fit for purpose and sufficient in quantity. These need to be regularly checked, records kept, and an initialled checklist available by the alarm. Equipment needs to be accessible and readily available when needed without creating additional hazards to pool users.

All pools must be equipped with an alarm or alternative backup in the event of an accident or incident to ensure support can be summoned quickly.  If the pool has no alarm, there should be a landline phone on the poolside which is checked before each lesson.  Access to emergency services must be guaranteed at all times the pool is in use. Mobile phones are only appropriate as a backup and signals and battery life must be checked on arrival at the pool prior to the lesson. 

All pools need to have a clear procedure for removing pupils with physical disabilities.  Where a pool has a spinal board/special recovery stretcher, staff should receive training in this.  It is recommended that special schools have a spinal board on the poolside.  Training can be provided by Herts Handling Training Ltd.

A variety of teaching and flotation aids should be available.  Equipment should:

• conform to any British Standard,
• be checked before the lesson to ensure it is safe to use,
• be close at hand for ease of access during lessons but be kept tidily on poolside to minimise trip hazards,
• be used appropriately to avoid over-reliance,
• not to be given to non-swimmers to allow them into the water out of their ability depth,
• be appropriate and safe for the needs of pupils,
• be correctly fitted or held according to the design and purpose of the aid.

Any electrical equipment on the poolside needs to be:

• designed for use in an aquatic environment,
• of low voltage or battery-operated,
• located so as not to create an additional hazard,
• have current circuit breakers attached,
• PAT tested annually,
• checked regularly.

No one in the water should handle any electrical equipment.

(AfPE Safe Practice in Physical Education, School Sport, and Physical Activity 2016 Edition)

Statutory Information

Schools with their own pools will need to draw up or review their own risk assessment as a basis for writing the EAP for their pool.

AfPE Safe Practice in Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (2020 Edition) have produced a very useful table, which outlines the aspects schools would expect to find within these documents:

NOPs (Normal Operating Procedure)

These are the day-to-day organisational systems based on risk assessment and would typically include information relating to:

• pool design and depth (this should be clearly marked; ropes separating shallow from deep; two connected bottom outlet pipes; ladders/steps?; use of electrical equipment
• temperature of the water – PWTAG recommend this should be between 29 degrees °C – 31 degrees °C  for teaching pupils
• potential areas of risk; clear signage; safe access onto poolside; steps and rails (entrapment risks?); glare and blind spots?
• whistle drills and alarms; e.g: One short blast - Calls for attention of pool users, Two short blasts - Calls for the attention of a lifeguard or member of staff, Three short blasts - Indicates a lifeguard taking emergency action
• arrangements for lessons
• responsibility for safety
• staffing levels and qualifications
• supervision and pupil conduct
• arrangements for pupils with particular needs (e.g. very young children, or those with SEND or medical conditions)
• pools safety equipment
• clothing and personal equipment
• maximum numbers
• first aid provision

EAPs (Emergency Action Plan)

This should establish who assumes leadership in managing emergencies and the action to be taken in relation to such issues as:

• serious injury to bather
• dealing with casualties in the water
• sudden overcrowding in a public pool
• sudden lack of water clarity
• disorderly behaviour
• faecal fouling
• vomit
• blood contamination
• emergency action due to: fire alarm, bomb threat, power failure, structural failure, toxic-gas emission, weather (thunder and lightning in outdoor pools) or glare from sunlight