Need to hire a Handler

[LauraLWatson]

Looking for advice on hiring a handler. My original thought was to hire a lifeguard, dressed in a pirate hat, who would carry me in and out of events and watch the immediate water around me. I am receiving ZERO response to this, no matter how many pools and/or lifeguards I contact. Does anyone have any advice on the hiring of a handler? The certified lifeguard part is actually REALLY important to me for safety. EVERY gig there has been at least one swimmer who tried to keep up with the mermaid/their friends and needed help. And with everyone's eyes on me, no one is really watching the water.

Thoughts?

[Meilyn]

Do you have any guy friends who would be able to do the job?

Before I got with my bf, I actually had thought to hire him. We talked about it and he was okay with it. It's always nicer to work with someone who knows you personally for such things in my opinion. I wouldn't like to be picked up or carried around by people I'm not 100% about. But then again I have issues with even sitting too close to a stranger and sometimes even friends.

[LauraLWatson]

In all honesty, I don't have too many that could do it. I'm baffled by the lack of response. I'm paying $25/hour, $50 guaranteed/gig. Part of the "interview" process will be meeting him and having him carry me around. I def don't want to be dropped! As an actor and performer, though, I am pretty accustomed to being touched and carried around. I just can't figure out why the lifeguards aren't lining up for this?

[AniaR]

I employ my boyfriend lol. You don't need a lifeguard. Stress they just have to be around can even use their phone or something while you do your thing.

[Chrissy]

Good luck!!! I am lucky enough to have my husband and a wagon

[BayouMermaid]

Chrissy, we've got a wagon too! It must be the mermaid land transportation of choice haha

[Mermaid Wesley]

Talk to lifeguards who are already employed. I'm sure they have friends :) that's how I (almost) got a lifeguarding gig, my friend who is a guard heard about an opportunity and let me know ( but I got a different job before I had the chance to apply.)


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[LauraLWatson]

Yeah, the employeed lifeguards are less than enthusiastic. But, I think I finally found one. His certification lapsed, but he has 5+ years experience and he's great with kids. Friend of a friend. Having an experience as a lifeguard is important because EVERY pool party needs a lifeguard. Too many close calls (mermaid present or not), and if I can provide that extra layer of security, it will help me relax and focus on my performance. Twenty+ years of lifeguarding makes me a true believer in water safety.

[Ayla of Duluth]

I put an ad out on craigslist to find my handler, I suggested that any sort of life guard certification is preferred, and I've had 2 great handlers so far, both lifeguard and cpr/first aid certified. Just be careful meeting people off the internet, I had them meet me at a subway near my house because its a public place where all the employees know me. (I eat there a LOT.) :)

[AniaR]

I wouldn't make lifeguarding your responsibility. Leave that to venues and clients to arrange. Otherwise everyone's safety is your liability and your insurance will be super high if you're being honest with your agent. Is America diff than Canada? All public pools here have lifeguards. A gig without one requires a legal liability release form. I don't think it gives you an edge I think it is probably why people are struggling to find helpers and it super complicates your business legally.

[Chrissy]

I would agree with AniaR on this one!!! People are so "sue" happy in the states that of you make providing the life guard as your responsibility that is a very heavy one to take on! I would make sure that the public pool has a life guard and everyone I have been too does. And if it is private party at a home, maybe kindly suggest to the family that having a lifeguard is a good idea. Not to mention you should tell the family that you are a mermaid and you are not there to save lives and you are very limited in movement. They family's need to be responsible for watching the children!!

[Mermaid Galene]

On my web site it clearly states that for any event where kids are in the water with the mermaid, "A lifeguard must be provided. At public pools, a lifeguard can be hired as part of the pool's rental package. For home pools, a responsible adult must fill the role of lifeguard." I really think that's the best approach.

[AniaR]

Not to mention you should tell the family that you are a mermaid and you are not there to save lives and you are very limited in movement. They family's need to be responsible for watching the children!!

This. my agreement they have to sign says, we are entertainers. Not lifeguards, not babysitters etc. Now, Sean and I both have some high quality training and we've saved kids before because obviously in an emergency you do something (and in Canada we have different laws than the states- I can't be sued from trying to save someone) We've had lots of legal advising and business advising and you end up totally liable if you do something like that.


For home pools, a responsible adult must fill the role of lifeguard." I really think that's the best approach.

We know people can't just go out here and find a lifeguard for their private event/home pool so we suggest the same thing. We also ask for a ratio of adult to children and mermaids to children for safety, and the same rules above apply in the agreement.

You gotta understand, if you supply or you are offering a 'lifeguard', you ARE responsible. And you should not be. When circus performers, musicians, and other higher risk performers go places, they don't supply their own EMTs for emergency care. They don't supply their own first aid tent etc. They don't take out insurance for the safety of all the people at the venue. That's the venue's job, and venues as types of corporations can afford that.

I don't think it hurts to have someone with training and obviously they will help just like anyone would in an emergency, but I dont think you should make it that person's role. You're a mermaid company. Not a lifesaving society provider.

My merwrangler's role:
-Help transport the mermaids
-help transport the gear
-driving
-take photos for events that hire us to do so
-be my person for safety since he knows how to get me out of a tail or knows what to look for in case of emergency

For a lot of gigs there is nothing at all for Sean to do after he gets me in the water. So he sits on the side and chats up the parents, hands out business cards and networks. Sometimes he'll use his phone or read something while he waits. Now, between Sean and I we have collectively saved 6 kids from drowning. Half of those happened right in front of a lifeguard. 2 were a hotel pool. 1 was a private home pool.

If you're looking for credentials for someone to be your merwranglers here is what I strongly suggest for YOUR liability purposes as an entertainer having this person around children:
A clean criminal background check. Can be gotten online at www.mybackcheck.com (http://www.mybackcheck.com) keep it on file for a year, A clean child abuse registry check- we've chatted about these before as many places around the world have different ways of obtaining these. In the states it usually goes by State and is just a check that says this person has never been reported as a child abuser. I'd look for someone who has experience around kids or community events or both. If they have standard first aid cpr I think that's fine as many jobs require it. Someone who can lift you and isn't intimidated by talking to clients. That's what I'd personally look for ;)

[LauraLWatson]

"Anyone can be sued for any reason at any time. The point is to win." Direct quote from my first day of lifeguard training. It's proven true, and you win by following the rules. By doing what you're trained to do, no more, no less.

A lawsuit for the average person saving someone, or attempting to, would be (and has been) thrown out. It's the Good Samaritan Law. Anyone attempting to render aide is protected by law.

As a certified lifeguard, I am not protected by this law- mermaid or not. It's a gray area, and different cases have gone different ways, but even when I'm not employed by the venue or the host as a lifeguard, my certification stands. I must render aide, and only the aide for which I am trained to offer.

As a mermaid, my Terms and Conditions (and waiver) all clearly state the host is responsible for the safety of all attendees, swimmers or not. It goes into some very legalistic terminology, but that's the gist. Most public pools in the USA have lifeguards, but it's not required that they do. Some, such as neighborhood pools owned by the Home Owner's Association, don't employ lifeguards. And the majority of my gigs have been in private homes or HOA pools.

My T/C also clearly states that it is HIGHLY recommended that a lifeguard or pool supervisor be appointed by the host for the safety of all swimmers.

My handler is NOT the lifeguard for the party, it goes on to state. I have opted to have a handler who is a certified lifeguard, who will be in swim trunks (plain, not labeled) because I have seen how under-supervised any mermaid event truly is. Even with lifeguards on duty, the assumption is the mermaid can grab her, or the mermaid sees him struggling, or just the old adage that everybody's watching and nobody's watching.

For where I live and perform (Texas, USA), having a certified lifeguard as my handler, in costume, does NOT make me more or less liable than without. The safety of swimmers is still the responsibility of the host (who might turn it over to the venue who employs lifeguards.) He is simply an added level of security, protection, and supervision to the water with special attention to the mermaid who might need assistance or might see someone in need of assistance due to her position in the pool. Because of his position during the event, and because EVERY event has had something that's happened (mostly minor things like a swimmer swallowing water unexpectedly or just getting too tired to keep up with the mermaid), I insisted he be a certified and experienced lifeguard for my peace of mind. He is not the lifeguard for the party. He is a lifeguard hired to be a pirate.

And I cannot stress enough the importance of a good background check AND references. (And listening to your gut!) And luckily, for me, I have a police officer who serves on the board of my theatre company (separate from my mermaiding), who runs background checks for me at no cost. Of course, that only covers arrests and convictions. Accusations of child abuse- I'll def look into that. Great tip! Thanks!

[Aquarianne]

Seconding this, and also, as a princess performer, I'm required to keep my child abuse and criminal background certifications current. In the states, you can pay 20$ apiece to receive your "all clear" certificates for child abuse or criminal backgrounds, respectively. Basically you mail away the form, they look over your official record and make sure you've never been arrested for anything, then mail you your certificates.

My boss required me to get this, as she requires all her girls, since we work with children. It's perfectly reasonable to request that any handler get both certificates, and I would strongly encourage making this a priority over lifeguard certification, honestly. If you're going to be around a lot of little kids in their swimsuits, well...the last thing you want to find out is that you accidentally hired a pedophile.

I intend to get lifeguard certified while I train on my monofin at the Y, because the certification is free and why not? But I definitely will advise my boss to put the onus on the hosts or parents to provide the actual lifeguard, and to have parents present AT the poolside. Being treated like the babysitter is bad enough in a ballgown, but it's much more dangerous in the water.

[AniaR]

We are lucky here where I live. Nobody cab sue anyone for giving first aid. Lifeguard, or anyone else. ( I teach first aid certification)

I certainly think it is fine to have a trained lifeguard work for you I just disagree with offering their services as part of your company. Sean and I both have loads of training. But he does not assume that role for clients- though obviously he'd jump in if needed.

[Ondine]

Totally agree with all this - we always make sure that whether the party is in a public pool or private home it's the client's responsibility to provide a lifeguard. That's completely separate from the mermaiding - we're there as entertainers, not lifeguards. Don't get me wrong, having a handler who's a certified lifeguard is certainly a useful thing, but don't make that part of the service you're providing. And as Aquarianne says, make sure you have up to date background checks for anyone you're hiring as well.

[Ayla of Duluth]

In all my gigs as a mermaid, there was only one venue where there was a lifeguard on duty and it was an aquatic center. Most gigs are at hotel pools and they never have lifeguards from what I've seen. Our public beach has one lifeguard, so I'm thinking they stick to public areas where swimming is the main event. That's why my assistant is lifeguard certified. I'm looking out for myself by hiring him, and after the gig I did where none of the kids knew how to swim and the parents had me watching them the whole time, I make it clear that their child's safety their responsibility, not mine.