Published on Tuesday, 21 January 2020 at 12:00:00 AM
Community members are reminded to vigilant around swimming pools and water, especially at this time of year.
Summer in the Pilbara brings soaring temperatures and intense sunshine but also localised downpours and severe thunderstorm and lightning activity.
While most of us enjoy a dip in the pool to cool down, we need to be mindful of using swimming pools during adverse weather as they can be pose a hazardous threat when lightning is in close proximity.
No place outdoors can ever be considered safe from lightning. The longest recorded lightning strike had been measured as 321 kilometres from just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma USA, to the Texan border in Oklahoma USA. This month in Australia, two people were struck by lightning in Sydney just 10 minutes apart.
The best defence for those persons who are outdoors at the first signs of audible thunder, visual lightning, or from an alert from detection technology, is to immediately seek safe shelter indoors, or within some other known safe refuge.
Shire of Ashburton swimming pools and aquatic centres are monitored using Skyscan Lightning Detectors and if lightning is detected 5-15km, an alarm will sound, a visual alert beacon will illuminate and all swimming pool patrons will be asked to evacuate the water and seek immediate shelter.
An all-clear alert will be received once 30 minutes has elapsed since the last detected lightning strike in that 5-15km radius and normal swimming pool activities can resume.
We would also like to remind swimming pool patrons to watch children around water.
All of the Shire's swimming pools and aquatic centres are Royal Life Saving Society WA ‘Watch Around Water’ endorsed centres.
Children under 5 years must be accompanied into the centre by a responsible adult and supervised within arm’s reach at all times and children under 10 years must be accompanied into the centre by a responsible adult and supervised within line of sight at all times.
Unsupervised children will be removed from the water by the center’s staff, and their supervisors will be shortly found.
Safety of our community is our priority.
Please stay tuned to the Shire of Ashburton Facebook and website for updates.
For media information contact:
Alison Lennon - Manager Media and Communications, Shire of Ashburton
M: 0409 314 140 | E: [email protected]
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