To help lifeguards in their mission to protect swimmers, the Boys & Girls Club of Metro South employed the use of WAVE Drowning Detection Systems.
Derek Heim, the president and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Metro South, said the portable technology from WAVE Systems not only improved the safety of members, but families are also embracing the system’s wearables.
With the application of technology to water safety being long overdue, Heim elaborated the Boys and Girls Club’s partnership with WAVE Systems is supporting a great need in the community. He shares how below:
How long have you been a customer of WAVE Systems?
We began using WAVE in June 2022 at our summer day camp, Camp Riverside. We became a customer after a national conference where I saw a demo on the product.
Why did you decide to partner with WAVE Systems? What problem were you looking to solve; or what solution were you looking to incorporate?
We partnered with WAVE as we know youth safety is our top priority, and safety around the water is something here at our Boys & Girls Club we take very seriously. We purchased WAVE as a preventative measure not as an effort to solve a problem, but rather as a tool to assist our lifeguards and support their highly vigilant job.
What are the benefits to your organization as a result of this partnership?
The benefits far outweigh the investment. We have been able to not only promote water safety, but additionally provide our lifeguards with the most technologically advanced tools to assist their work. Our families have embraced this as a way for all to help practice water safety, and we have seen tremendous growth in participation due to this investment as well.
What are the benefits to your members as a result of this partnership?
Our kids are provided with enhanced technology every day including in school, social and community settings. Why not provide the same when in and around water? Our kids embrace and celebrate technology, and WAVE Systems is just one more way to promote our mission and focus on youth.
Have you been pleasantly surprised by working with WAVE Systems in any way?
Our relationship with WAVE has been beneficial in so many ways. The relationship has been transformative rather than transactional. They have helped our team and staff work toward new ways of thinking and helped to foster an amazing sense of responsibility around the water.
What else can you tell other rec center professionals about the benefits of working with WAVE Systems?
Check it out and judge for yourself. If water safety is important to your facility, why not embrace the technology to assist your lifeguards and keep all your members safe? We put a seatbelt on each time we get in a car, why not something similar around the water?
