Bell Block pool will not be following New Plymouth in introducing stricter adult: child ratios. The privately operated Methanex Bell Block Aquatic Centre is continuing their standard water safety regulations, which do not impose a stringent adult: child ratio. Bell Block pool manager Mike Fox said he understood where the New Plymouth District Council was coming from with its new regulations. While he believed some of the ratios were “too tough”, he was not criticising the council. Under New Plymouth’s new ratio requirement, a family with a child under 12 months old and a child under 2 years old would require two adult supervisors at the city’s Todd Energy Aquatic Centre. Bell Block requires parents or caregivers to actively supervise their charges under 8 years old. Mr Fox said the key words were “actively supervise”, but there were still parents reading magazines, texting or looking at their iPads instead of watching their children. He said there were no plans to change the current pool regulations or put a ratio in place. “However, if an adult turns up with a dozen under-8s we’ll say no,” he said. If an adult shows up with three or four children, they are asked to keep them together in a group. Mr Fox said there had been instances of adults leaving their charges to romp in the water while they headed off somewhere. Last week a mother dropped off her two children, aged 3 and 6, then went to the local bar. “Our lifeguard had to ask the children where their mum was and tracked her down to look after her kids,” Mr Fox said. A father had done the same thing some years ago. PARENTAL CARE: Methanex Bell Block Aquatic Centre pool manager Mike Fox says parents are responsible for the safety of their children.
