We’ve added many new pools to DRD’s pool portfolio this year, both for existing and new clients.

In downtown Baltimore, DRD operate waterfront pools at the Belts Landing Condominiums on Fell Street (Village Management, Inc.) as well as 100 Harborview Condominiums (Zalco Management). We will also be operating the Winthrope House near Johns Hopkins University for Brodie Management, Inc.

Three new clients this season are David S. Brown Enterprises, Riden-Bringhurst Associates, Inc., and WHH Trice and Company. Brown retained DRD to manage three of their beautiful community pools: Cascades Overlook, Brookside Commons and St. Charles at Olde Court. For Riden- Bringhurst, DRD will manage a community pool in Mt Washington called The Parke at Mt. Washington, and for WHH Trice and Company, a community pool at Chadwick Manor near Security Blvd.

Not too far from our corporate office in Hunt Valley is the newly built Residence Inn by Marriott Hunt Valley that has a gorgeous indoor pool and spa we’ll be operating it year-round.

Other new pools for this season include Riverstone at Owings Mills, The Crossings at Whitemarsh and Stevenson Village in Pikesville.

Last year we worked very hard to make sure all DRD run pools met the requirements of the Federally Mandated Virginia Graeme –Baker Pool and Spa Safety  Act (VGB).  Enacted to protect swimmers from entrapment hazards in commercial pools caused by such things as high-suction single drains that can catch hair or create a suction powerful enough to hold a person under water,  the VGB act forced the pool industry to re-tool their manufacturing plants to produce suction covers that prevent body, limb and hair entrapment.

All in all, we were able to get in excess of 200 pools compliant with the new requirements, which was no mean feat. Our biggest challenge was getting enough product in place quickly enough to meet the Maryland state deadline last year.

Manufacturers across the country scrambled to re-tool their plants to get this done in time, and we would like to commend Baystate Pool Supplies and South Central Pool Supply of Baltimore for their herculean efforts. They were instrumental in providing the material we needed to get this done in a timely fashion.
Even though all our pools were brought to standard last year, we’ll continue to check all suction fittings for new and existing pools to make sure they are in compliance before the season gets under way. Kudos to our friends at Baystate and SCP for working hard to help us keep our pools as safe as they can be!

Even if a person seems healthy and has no family history of heart disease, heart related issues can strike suddenly, and with little warning. This can present a tricky pool safety issue, because otherwise healthy people (especially women), often dismiss the symptoms—and may not ask for assistance right away. So lifeguards should be on the lookout for any kind of unusual behavior poolside, and be ready to implement an emergency action plan immediately.

One such incident happened last summer at Green Valley Swim Club in Reisterstown, where 52-year-old Lutherville resident Annie Lawler was holding swimming instruction classes. A former triathlete and competitive swimmer, Annie teaches swimming at Michael Phelps Swim School and is a master coach at Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center in Mount Washington.

Active and fit, the last thing she expected to experience while teaching swim lessons was an intense burning sensation in her chest. Lifeguard and pool manager, Lindsey Baylor, noticed her climb out of the water and sit in a chair. “Miss Annie looked distressed,” said Baylor, a 25-year-old college student who works summers at the swim club. And when she caught Annie’s eye across the pool and saw her mouth the words, “I don’t feel right,” she sent another lifeguard, Emily Makhlouf, to check on her.

“I’ll be OK,” Annie told Emily, initially refusing assistance. But as she experienced pressure building beneath her sternum, Annie used her cell phone to call her sister, a retired emergency room nurse, for advice.

Emily was concerned, and kept an eye on her. By the time Annie finished her conversation with her sister, who told her to have someone get her to the hospital immediately, Emily had already dialed 911.

Thankfully, observance and quick response of emergency procedures by DRD lifeguards facilitated a happy ending. Annie was indeed experiencing a serious medical issue, but she got to Sinai Hospital in time to prevent major heart damage—although she needed six stents to restore her circulation.

Now back to her active lifestyle and thankful to be alive, Annie says she’s glad that the lifeguards didn’t let her brush off her symptoms. It’s easy to do—especially when the person experiencing them is fit and active, with no prior history.

We’re very proud of Lindsey Baylor and Emily Makhlouf, who exhibited calm professionalism and caring in an uncertain situation. Congratulations, ladies, on a job well done!