Swim Around Lido Key Saturday, April 22, 2017 Race and Safety Plan

Transcription

1 Swim Arund Lid Key Saturday, April 22, 2017 Race and Safety Plan This dcument utlines the details abut the race and safety plans fr ur 7-mile pen water race n Lid Key, Flrida. It cntains the fllwing: Race Plan Safety Plan Emergency Plan Cntingency Plan Water Quality Plan RACE PLAN Swim Withut Limits, Inc. will hst the 3rd Annual Swim Arund Lid Key pen water event. The date fr the race at this time is Saturday, April 22, The race will be ffered at ne distance f 7-miles with sl male & female, 2-persn, and 3-persn relay divisins. The race will start and finish in the Gulf f Mexic and g arund the island f Lid Key. It will traverse thrugh the Gulf f Mexic, New Pass inlet, Sarasta Bay, and Big Pass inlet as the curse takes swimmers arund Lid Key. Each swimmer will have r be prvided with an escrt pilt (kayaker) wh will prvide safety, navigatin, and nutritin fr the swimmer. Relay teams must take turns swimming and paddling, meaning that each persn swims a prtin f the race and paddles the kayak a prtin f the race. Relay swimmers cannt have a dedicated pilt. Relay teams can swap between paddling and swimming as ften as they want n curse. T make the exchange, relay teams must have the pilt exit the kayak and maintain cntact and cntrl f the kayak until the swimmer makes the exchange by hand-t-hand tuch. At this mment, the finishing swimmer becmes the pilt and the nly team member permitted cntact with the kayak. The pilt may then use the sea bttm if needed fr 1

2 assistance t enter the kayak and prcess as the team pilt. A pre-race safety meeting will take place n Saturday, April 22 prir t the race and is mandatry fr all swimmers and pilts. Water safety will be prvided by the swimmer escrt pilts (kayakers), pwerbats, jet skis, plice bat, and EMTs that will be patrlling the curse. Pilts will be instructed n hw t seek assistance. An EMT will be available n the water as well as at the start/finish line. Safety persnnel will be instructed n hw t assist a distressed swimmer and trained medical persnnel will be available t assist in emergency situatins. Sarasta PD will be prviding a plice bat whse rle will be t help keep public bat traffic away frm the swimmers/pilts by perating twards the frnt f main race field. The bat fficer will intercept ptential public baters and instruct them n perating their bat safely in the area t avid cntact r disruptin f the event. We will be prviding up t three pwerbats and three jet ski fr the event. Each pwerbat will have a dedicated swim sptter nbard. Each pwer craft will be marked with an range flag indicating that they are part f the event. We will have ne pwerbat with the lead field, ne in the middle f the field, and ne at the end f the field f swimmers/pilts. The jet skis will be raming the entire field as needed. All bat and jet ski peratrs, plice bat, and persnnel at the start/finish line will be mnitring VHF channel 83 where all race cmmunicatin will take place. Swimmers will start the race n the beach and prceed int the water when the race starts. Pilts will be waiting fr their swimmer just ff the beach staying t the utside f the pack f swimmers until they can get cntact with their swimmer. Pilts will remain with their swimmer the entire race. The curse will take the swimmer nrth t 2

3 New Pass inlet and int Sarasta Bay. Swimmers will then head suthwest t Big Pass inlet and back int the Gulf f Mexic. The race will fllw the English Channel swimming rules. This means n swimsuits belw the knees r shulders. N suits that prvide any type f buyancy. N wetsuits. N ther swimming aids. N hanging nt yur pilt's bat. N tuching ther peple. N standing n the bttm r making frward prgress using the bttm. Swimmers must be able t cmplete the swim in less than five hurs. Swimmers shuld be able t swim 1 pen water mile in under 42 minutes. If swimmers are nt appraching the final 500 yards f the swim within five hurs, they may be pulled by the mtrbat pilts and shuttled t the finish line. If they are clse, they will nt be pulled. Timing fr every swimmer will be handled by persnnel recrding the time each swimmer crsses the finish line using a cmputer based system applicatin. Prir t the race, an Athlete and Pilt Guide will be sent t each swimmer and pilt with cmplete race and safety details. A mandatry pre-race safety meeting will take place prir t the race instructing each swimmer and pilt, pwerbat and jet ski captains n the curse layut, starting and finishing prcedures, cntingency plans, safety plans with instructins n hw t ask fr help n the curse, and what t d if they abandn the race. A questin and answer perid is alltted s that each swimmer has the ability t get their questins answered. A curse map will als be available fr swimmers and pilts t view. Each swimmer will be prvided a clred swim cap and bdy marked with their swim number prviding additinal accuntability means. SAFETY PLAN 1. Each swimmer will be escrted by a pilt bat (kayaker) prviding safety, navigatin, and nutritin fr the swimmer. Each pilt will be given the fllwing diagram instructing him r her n hw t seek assistance while n the water. 3

4 2. Pilts will be instructed n hw t and where t psitin themselves with respect t their swimmer. The fllwing diagram will be prvided t each swimmer and pilt. 3. Emergency services will be prvided by EMTs, ne n the beach at the start/finish line and ne n a pwerbat with a designated sptter patrlling the curse and will be equipped with Basic Life Supprt gear and an AED. 4. Three pwerbats (each with a dedicated swimmer sptter) and up t three jet skis will patrl the curse and will all be in cmmunicatin with each ther as well as the race directrs. Each pwerbat and jet ski will be marked t indicate that they re part f the race. 5. The pwerbats and jet skis will have VHF radi cmmunicatin with n-shre staff and the Race Directrs. Radi cmmunicatin is directly linked t 911 services. 6. Sarasta Cunty Fire Department is lcated nly a few miles frm Lid Key Public Beach, the race venue, with full Emergency Services including ambulances. Respnse time wuld be 10 minutes r less. 7. A plice pwer bat will be n curse t help keep any bat traffic away frm the swimmers as they pass thrugh New Pass Inlet as well as ther parts f the curse. 8. A distressed swimmer wuld be identified by a pilt escrt blwing a whistle r waving their paddled ver their head until recgnized. Persnnel n the pwerbats r jet skis shuld be n site within minutes. The swimmer will be placed n the pwerbat r jet ski and transprted t shre where resuscitatin by trained persnnel will begin if necessary. 9. A briefing f the curse and cnditins will be held n the beach prir t the swim. 4

5 All participants will be checked in the mrning f the race. They will be checked back in as they finish the race. Swimmers that withdraw frm the race will be instructed t reprt t the finish area t be accunted fr. Cntact infrmatin fr all swimmers will be recrded as part f the registratin prcess. 10. A mandatry safety briefing will be held fr all swimmers, pilts, and safety persnnel prir t the start f the race s that they understand hw t handle a distressed swimmer and knw where t be psitined n the curse. 11. A mandatry baters meeting will be held prir t the race s that each pwerbat and jet ski bat captain and sptter understand their rle and what t d in case f an emergency r inclement weather. 12. Sarasta Cunty Life Guards n Lid Beach and lcal marine plice will be infrmed f the race s that they are aware f the swimmers and pilts wh will be traversing their beach patrl areas. EMERGENCY PLAN 1. Swimmer in distress: Swimmers in distress will be identified by their escrt pilts and the supprt craft n the curse. Pilts will alert persnnel n the pwerbats r jet skis by blwing a whistle r waving their paddle ver their head until recgnized. If the swimmer must be evacuated frm the curse, they will be laded nt the pwerbat r jet ski and brught t shre. Once n shre, the swimmer will be evaluated and treated if necessary by EMT persnnel. Swimmers requiring evacuatin via ambulance will be transprted t Sarasta Memrial Hspital 4.2 miles frm the race venue. Transit time is apprximately 9 minutes. 2. Missing swimmer: Befre the race begins, all swimmers will be checked in. They will be checked back when they finish the race. Swimmers wh abandn the race will be instructed t check in at the finish area by persnnel n the beach. Cell phne number and emergency cntact infrmatin will be gathered at registratin fr each swimmer. If a swimmer is determined missing, safety persnnel will fllw prtcl fr said event. CONTINGENCY PLAN 1. Any ne f the fllwing individuals is empwered t rder the race t be abandned due t unsafe cnditins. A. Race Directr David Miner B. Safety Crdinatr/ISF Steve Butler 2. If the race is abandned, Race Cntrl will cmmunicate via radi t all supprt craft t signal abandnment. Swimmers and pilts will be rdered t the beach. 3. Swimmers and pilts will be instructed t prceed t the finish area t check in. 4. If lightning is present in the area, all swimmers and pilts will be instructed t leave 5

6 the beach and/r the curse immediately and mve t a prtected area. If swimmers and pilts must abandn the curse due t lightning, they will remain safely nshre until the pwerbats and jet ski persnnel give the all-clear signal t cntinue the race. If a significant amunt f time passes and the weather des nt clear, all swimmers will be instructed that the race is ver and must stay in place until race persnnel can pick them up and transprt them back t the start/finish area. WATER QUALITY Lid Beach water quality is tested and psted n a weekly basis by the Flrida Department f Health. In the rare instance that the water quality was pr, the beach is generally clsed t swimmers. The average water temperature at Lid Key Beach fr the perid f this race is 75 t 80 degrees F. 6