Safety Policies and Training

As a values-driven, family-oriented company, one of PARC Management’s core values is “Always Safe,” and the safety of our guests and team members is our number-one priority.

We believe our safety program is the most stringent in the industry. We monitor safety both internally and through the use of national independent review firms, and we consistently seek to improve safety policies and procedures.

Our ongoing commitment to the wellbeing of our guests and team members is reflected in our corporate culture and both our policies and excellent safety record.

Safety Policies and Training

Safety is our number-one priority. All team members are educated about the paramount importance of safety in all facets of park operations; they are also encouraged to remain constantly vigilant on behalf of guests and other team members.

Team members are empowered to take action on safety matters. Every team member has the authority to shut down a ride or attraction if they have reason to believe a safety concern exists.

Every team member is provided with general safety and department-specific training.

Each ride operator is trained on standard operating procedures for every ride and receives first aid training. Each must also take a written test as well as a practical test to show proficiency in the proper and safe operation of each attraction in the park.

All Waterworld lifeguards are licensed through the National Pool & Waterpark Lifeguard Training Program (NPWLTP) provided by Jeff Ellis & Associates, an internationally-renowned expert in aquatic safety.

o The initial lifeguard course totals 24 hours of training over the course of several days.

o Training includes:

1.) Lifeguarding responsibilities, including:

a. Accountability & Professionalism

b. Awareness & recognition

c. Reaction

2.) Responding to an Emergency, including:

a. Rescue Breathing

b. Supplemental Oxygen

c. CPR & Airway Obstruction & Automated External Defibrillation

d. Spinal Injury Management

o After completing the coursework, lifeguard candidates must pass a written examination with a score of 80% or higher; they must also pass individual technical performance exams and practical simulation exams to qualify for licensing.

o In addition to lifeguard training, the NPWLTP provides:

An initial assessment of the facility for safety practices and risk control
Unannounced audits of facility and staff, to insure competence and maintenance of standards

o Once licensed, each lifeguard is required to take four (4) additional hours of in-service training each month to maintain their license.

We educate our guests as well as our team members. Safety information is provided by signage around each ride as well as by audio recordings, and our lifeguards and dispatchers are trained and present at the entrance and exit of each ride to remind guests about proper ride safety. (An example of a safety audio script is attached to this document.)

Safety Record

Since PARC Management acquired Waterworld in 2007, safety-related incidents have been extremely rare.
During that period, we have welcomed more than 600,000 guests, and there have been only four claims relating to the Typhoon.
There have been zero claims this year in the park.

When any claim is made, we investigate the incident to determine what occurred and how we can improve our industry-leading safety record. This is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to safety and utilizing best practices.

We coined the term “Always Safe” to describe ourselves and reinforce our top priority. As such, we exceed state standards for ride safety.
In addition to an annual state safety inspection, we bring in industry-leading expert third party companies to audit and test our park. We perform a pre-season ride certification over and above the state requirements. Then, we are audited three times at random per season by Ellis & Associates, an internationally-renowned expert in aquatic safety.
We inspect the entire park each day and perform daily, random internal audits on lifeguard behaviors throughout the season.
We share best practices across our family of parks.
Our most recent annual state inspection occurred last month (June of 2010), and we passed the inspection in all categories.
On our last lifeguard safety audit performed by the third-party firm Ellis & Associates in July 2010, we exceeded standards, achieving the highest mark possible; in all past audits, we have either met or exceeded standards.
We have passed each annual state inspection, as well as a state inspection reviewing the Typhoon attraction in 2009 after an incident.

In the 2009 inspection and all annual inspections, the state of California deemed that the Typhoon ride properly complies with both manufacturer specifications and state requirements.
In consultation with the manufacturer and our safety personnel, the state inspectors recommended we adjust the safety instructions given by our team members to stress the correct rider position in the tube; they also recommended that we adjust the inflation level on the tubes. These recommendations were implemented immediately.
We encourage all guests to properly follow the instructions of holding onto the tube’s handles and lying straight back in order to best maintain position on the tube.
The inflation level of tubes on our Typhoon ride is checked visually and manually to determine that it is within acceptable parameters.