There are five community pools located within the Times New coverage area: Howard D. Buehler Memorial Pool in Tamaqua, Lansford Community Pool, Baer Memorial Pool in Lehighton, Northern Lehigh Pool in Slatington and the Palmerton Memorial Pool.

All are staffed by certified lifeguards. Most of those lifeguards are high school or college students, because, let's face it, who else is available for a job that's only open during summer months.Managers or assistant managers at three of these facilities were willing to speak about their emergency plans and certifications.Matt Stanek, assistant manager at Tamaqua's pool, is a certified lifeguard instructor. He not only sees the value of additional training beyond the certification course, he and pool manager Adrianne Bumbulsky conduct numerous in-service training sessions."We go over drills and emergency procedures several times during the season," Stanek said.The pool, referred to locally as "The Bungalow," is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily, although conditions may prompt an earlier closing time.Larry Arner, manager of the Palmerton pool, is also a certified lifeguard instructor."We have a set of emergency procedures and hold training sessions throughout the season. As an instructor, at the end of the season, I conduct a training course which most of my lifeguards attend. That way, I'm aware of the individual capabilities of each of my lifeguards," he says.Palmerton's pool is open noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.Mary Ann Krajnak, Lansford pool manager, said, "We do have an emergency action plan. The first and most important step is sizing up the situation and then putting that plan into action. All of the personnel at the pool, from lifeguards to office staff, are CPR certified. The assistant managers have CPR/first aid/AED certification, and I am a certified lifeguard."Additional drills will now be conducted in the afternoon after the adults only swim.The pool is open daily from noon to 7 p.m.The Baer Memorial Pool in Lehighton is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily.The Northern Lehigh Pool in Slatington is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily.