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DrownGuard: Automatic Drown Alarm for Lifeguards

Booth Id:
EE054

Category:
Energy: Chemical

Year:
2014

Finalist Names:
Blythe, Dominic

Abstract:
From the point of view of a lifeguard in current employment, valuable time is wasted when rescuing a casualty due to the lifeguard having to divert from the most direct route to the incident in order to press a drown alarm. This is deemed to be essential as it is the drown alarm which alerts team mates of the incident and removes other swimmers from the pool. For a situation in which ‘every second counts’, the current method needs to be improved. A better system would be one that senses when the lifeguard enters the water so that they can get straight on with the rescue. This is the issue that the DrownGuard system solves. Further adding to this, when lifeguards hear the drown alarm, there is currently no way of telling them the location of the incident. This, alongside the fact that multiple lifeguards are required for a full rescue, could be a serious issue in larger pool complexes. The DrownGuard system colour codes different zones so that, depending on the location that the lifeguard enters the water, a different colour will light and team members can get to the area as quickly as possible. The product is suited for easy-integration into already in place, standard drown alarm and has received interest from people within the industry.