Community pools are a staple of many HOAs and provide a great place for residents to socialize, relax, and enjoy outdoor recreation. Ensuring the safety of pool-goers is a top priority for HOAs, and there are several ways to achieve this. Traditionally, community pools have relied on pool monitors to ensure safety, but with the rise of technology, live virtual monitoring has become a more effective and efficient option. In this article we explore the advantages of using live virtual monitoring vs pool monitors at community pools, and why HOAs should consider implementing live virtual monitoring to ensure the safety of their pool-goers.
In-person monitors are expensive
HOAs are held to strict budgets. Any time they take on new expenses, they need to justify the costs to residents – especially if the new cost could potentially increase monthly dues. This is why it’s important to compare your options before you choose a security solution.
A starting hourly rate for a Pool Monitor starts around $25/hour. If you have multiple monitors that take on different shifts, you will need to budget for extra staffing. The most popular time to use neighborhood pools is during nights and weekends, which means you need to hire someone who will work outside of a traditional 9 to 5 weekday schedule – and potentially pay them more because of it.
The Pool Monitor is being paid to watch the pool, enforce the pool rules, tell people to stop running or check for alcohol. Live Virtual Monitoring Systems can handle many of the same tasks of an in-person pool monitor, but for a fraction of the cost. Instead of the variable cost of an hourly employee, you pay one flat monthly fee for a Virtual Monitor and aren’t required to provide benefits or time off. You also get 24/7 protection which would be very expensive to replicate with an in-person monitor. For HOAs looking to save money and provide a secure community pool, live virtual monitoring is the way to go.
It’s Difficult to Retain Qualified Personnel
If you are considering hiring a pool monitor for your community, consider some of the challenges that might come with staffing this position. First, it can be incredibly hard to find qualified pool monitors. You need to hire people who have a clear understanding of your pool rules, ADA guidelines, and basic first aid knowledge. You also need someone who is committed enough to the job to enforce the rules despite being unpopular with the residents.
Finding someone with that level of commitment is hard considering the low hourly rate of the position. The pool monitor position is also likely seasonal and is an attractive job for college kids home for the summer looking to make a few bucks. Menial tasks and no opportunities for growth or advancement can create a temporary or seasonal mindset which can lead to high turnover causing more problems for the HOA.
Live Virtual Monitoring tools can be installed immediately in your pool area and be up and running in days. These cameras never take a sick day and never quit on the job and monitors are always vigilant about enforcing the rules. Plus, once you have this system in place, you don’t have to worry about managing and retaining individual monitors.
Enjoy 24/7 Coverage With Live Virtual Monitoring
One of the biggest advantages of live virtual monitoring is its ability to provide complete coverage of the pool area. Pool monitors can only be in one place at a time, which can result in blind spots and areas that are not monitored. Live virtual monitoring, on the other hand, can provide real-time monitoring of all areas of the pool, including high-traffic areas that pool monitors may not be able to see. This increased coverage means that pool-goers can feel more secure, and HOAs can be confident that they are fully monitoring the pool area.
Another challenge with live pool monitors is that they aren’t on-site if someone breaks into the pool after hours. Someone could sneak in with alcohol late at night after your monitor goes home, hurt themselves, and sue the community. Your HOA either needs someone on-site 24/7 or has to guess when they think crimes or incidents will occur. A difficult task.
Live Virtual Monitoring takes the guesswork out of staffing. You can keep an eye on your pool every minute of every day – rain or shine. This means you can record problems whether there is an issue at 9 am on a Monday or 3 am on a Saturday night.
Increased Safety Means Enhanced Peace of Mind
Perhaps the most important advantage of live virtual monitoring is the increased safety it provides. Pool Monitors are trained to monitor, report on what they saw, and call the authorities when necessary but not intervene. Live virtual monitoring allows HOAs to monitor all areas of the pool, provide a record of all activity, and use audio speakers to deter incidents from ever occurring, resulting in immediate proactive responses in the event of an emergency.
For example, in the event of a medical emergency, live virtual monitors can alert other pool-goers of the situation, provide lifesaving footage for first responders, helping them to assess the situation and respond appropriately. Furthermore, live virtual monitoring can provide notifications to HOA members in the event of any suspicious activity, allowing them to quickly respond and prevent further incidents.
Live virtual monitoring can provide peace of mind for both pool-goers and HOA members. Residents can feel confident that their families and communities are being monitored and protected, reducing anxiety and stress and creating a more positive community atmosphere. Additionally, live virtual monitoring can help to reduce the risk of liability for the HOA, as they are taking proactive measures to ensure the safety of their pool area.
With live virtual monitoring, pool-goers can feel more secure, and HOAs can be confident that they are providing a safe and secure community evidence for law enforcement in the event of a crime, ensuring that incidents are documented and resolved efficiently.
Virtual Monitors Record Emergencies for Future Use
Underage drinking, vandalism, assault, and other crimes can still occur even with a pool monitor in place. While pool monitors can report crimes to the authorities and the HOA, you have to rely on them to provide accurate and unbiased descriptions of what occurred. If the pool monitor was distracted when something happened, they aren’t a reliable source to report the crime. Additionally if someone hurts themselves at the pool and threatens litigation, having video evidence of the incident greatly improves your chances of avoiding damages and increased insurance premiums. This type of record keeping is not possible with pool monitors, who can only keep an eye on the pool while they are present.
Live virtual monitoring provides clear evidence of what occurred and you can submit videos to the police or insurance company to confirm which residents were involved in the incident. This can potentially lower HOA fees because you can charge the appropriate residents for damaged property rather than expecting the rest of the community to pick up any repair and replacement costs. This can be useful for HOAs to review past incidents and make decisions about how to improve safety in the future.
Access and View Your Pools From Anywhere
With live virtual monitoring, HOAs have the flexibility to view the pool from anywhere with an internet connection. This means that HOA members can check on the pool while they are away, or even while they are at work. This type of flexibility is not possible with pool monitors, who are physically present at the pool. HOA members can simply log into their accounts to access live virtual monitoring footage. This makes it easy for HOAs to check on their pools, even if they are not technically savvy.
Learn About Live Virtual Monitoring for Your HOA
Hiring a pool monitor creates a lot of work for your HOA and complex problems related to finding, retaining, and scheduling these individuals. Live virtual monitoring is a more effective solution for community pools compared to pool monitors. Live virtual monitoring provides complete coverage of the pool area, is cost-effective, improves record keeping, enhances peace of mind, is easy to use, increases safety, and is more convenient. By implementing live virtual monitoring, HOAs can ensure the safety of their pool-goers, reduce the risk of liability, and provide a positive and secure community atmosphere.
Contact American Virtual Monitoring to learn how Live Virtual Monitoring can increase the security of your neighborhood pool and lower your liability.
