POWER 25
• 2010 Power 25: Reinventors
It’s a crucial moment for aquatics. Here’s a look at who’s changing the game, for good!
• 2009 Power Forces
The current economic crisis is likely to shape much of what happens in 2009. We’ve asked past Power 25 honorees to weigh in on how it might affect aquatics — and what professionals can do to weather the storm.
As assistant Commissioner at the Westchester County (N.Y.) Bureau of Public Health Protection, Frank Guido was responsible for 600 public pools and more than 40 public bathing beaches.
That was before he retired recently.
Today Guido is, in part, responsible for an entire nation of pools. He chairs the Regulatory Program Administration Technical Committee for the Model Aquatic Health Code project.
“I’ve been involved in aquatics from a number of points, including doing inspections, ” Guido says. “What always interested me about pools is that they’re artificial, man-made environments. We are constructing them and we can and should make them as safe as possible by building out as many issues as possible and training staff.”
He first learned about the MAHC online and became involved in 2009.
According to Guido, the purpose of the technical committee he chairs is to determine what should go into architectural plans and pool inspections. This includes answering questions such as: What equipment should be required? What kind of training should be mandatory for inspectors? What criteria should be used to determine if a certified pool operator should be required on site?
In the end, experience working on the New York State Food Code has led Guido to believe that a national aquatic code is long overdue.
“Even if all jurisdictions don’t adopt the MAHC, they can use it as a reference,” he says.