Facility owners are urged to look into the professional development of their staff.

Fiji Swimming has expressed disappointment that the water safety rules which do exist, are not being followed.

This follows a recent spate of drowning which involved five people with the youngest being a three-year-old and the oldest nineteen.

Operations Manager Trisa Dunn says pool facility owners must look into the professional development of their staff.

Dunn adds lifeguards must know the step by step process to save a person from drowning.

“It is always good to have policies, rules and regulations and everyone is jumping up and down about passing them and signing them off, put them in place – but the hardest thing about this is actually enforcing it and actually policing it. So that is the downfall of having rules and regulations and that bit about enforcing things need to be strengthened.”

Fiji Swimming suggests classes should be made available for the young and adults both.

The drowning toll stands at twenty-eight compared to twenty-four for the same period last year.