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Board removes village requirement for pool attendants; property owners may decide staffing
Summary
After a staff report on state lifeguard rules and a review of Fire Department incident data, the Board voted to repeal the village's pool-attendant requirement, leaving lifeguard staffing decisions to property owners or HOAs while continuing standard health inspections and state-required signage.
The Village Board voted to remove a local ordinance that mandated a pool-attendant presence at semi-public outdoor pools, aligning local rules with the statelaw framework and giving property owners and homeowner associations discretion over whether to hire lifeguards or attendants.
Health and environmental staff reviewed Illinois state requirements and local inspection practice, saying state law requires lifeguards for wave pools and water slides and requires guardians for under-16 swimmers in facilities that do not have lifeguards. The village's environmental health inspections will continue — officers check chlorine, pH, safety equipment, fencing, gates and signage during routine inspections.
Staff presented Fire Department records showing 10 drowning-related incidents in Arlington Heights since 2008; six involved pools and two of those were fatal incidents at apartment-complex pools (2008 and 2014). Staff noted the incidents predate or do not map exactly to the villagepool-attendant policy's intended coverage and recommended removing the village-level mandate while continuing enforcement of state rules and local inspection standards.
Public commenters representing homeowner associations urged preserving local safety measures or retaining attendants; others asked for flexibility and the option to operate "swim at your own risk" facilities. After public comment and trustee discussion, the Board approved an ordinance removing the local pool-attendant requirement. Trustees noted that complexes and HOAs retain the ability to hire guards or attendants and that state signage requirements remain in force.
