Thursday, June 13, 2024 | 5:32 p.m.
The Southern Nevada Health District decided to uphold a decision revoking the Las Vegas Athletic Club’s pool monitoring variance in lieu of an onsite lifeguard after footage was discovered of a customer who died at one of their facilities in February.
It was announced in May that LVAC would have its pool monitoring variance taken by the SNHD, but no reason was given at the time. The variance, issued in 2020, allowed LVAC to monitor pool users via a video camera rather than hire an in-person lifeguard. Several other local gyms requested and received a similar waiver, the SNHD said in a press release.
The continued revoking of LVAC’s variance came after an appeal hearing when health district officials were shown a video of a person died in an indoor pool facility. The person was in visible distress for over 20 minutes, with no response from LVAC, officials said.
The SNHD determined the lifeguard exemptions for gyms was inadequate after multiple inspections over the past four years and two separate “serious” incidents occurred, including the drowning in February.
LVAC could not be immediately reached for comment.
Twenty-nine pools at 21 locations have been forced to close due to failures to comply with requirements since 2020, officials with the Health District said. Five gym pools throughout the city have opted to resume lifeguard programs, including several EōS Fitness locations and UFC Fit, whose plan is still pending approval.
The regulations on pools and other aquatic facilities were put in place by the Southern Nevada District Board of Health in 2018 after a length approval process including public workshops.
