September 23, 2026: My love of Life Floor
Good Morning,
In case you didn't know, although we sell consulting services, I don't get paid like a traditional consultant. Other consultants represent products and services, so they are compensated by manufacturers, suppliers & installers for making referrals for specific clients or projects using a product. Those relationships are rarely disclosed, and that's a huge problem in the aquatic industry because it means facility/project advice is not completely objective to the client's actual needs assessment. I don't rep products.
Instead, I get paid by the client through hourly or project-based management consulting, meaning I can always be completely independent and serve the client's needs or interests. It's definitely harder to earn money with this model (no one wants to pay for yet another consultant; it's also unclear to many people how I'm different from other stakeholders they already have at the table), but it makes the outcome 100% better when it comes to actual facility operations.
I first became aware of the product Life Floor back in 2017 or 2018 while flipping through a US pool industry trade publication. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about what's happening in the industry, so I was surprised to hear about something called "safety surfacing" and see foam in and around pools? How does that even work?!
I've been lifeguarding since 2003, so I also remember the days before Crocs. Stinky flipflops in the guard room and falling while running down the wet pool deck with no traction, but - at that time - there was simply no footwear suitable to wet environments, unless you had a dedicated pair of pool sneakers. Once Crocs were invented, it literally changed footwear options for aquatic staff; 90% of people on staff would be wearing some style of Crocs. 20 years later Crocs are one of dozens of non-slip, anti-microbial options, but - at the time - Crocs' proprietary material was literally an inflection point for the industry.
I've known since looking at that magazine advertisement nearly 10 years ago that Life Floor will fundamentally change how we build, renovate & operate aquatic facilities. Full stop. Don't get me wrong, I love tile in a pool, but on a pool deck? We can't keep doing what we've always been doing; the injuries are too dramatic and often avoidable.
In the manner of Guy Raz's podcast How I Built This, cofounder Jonathan Keller recently sat down with me for a virtual interview about the mission of the product. When you hear that it came about after his son fell and badly hit his head AND his father fell and broke ribs at the same aquatic facility where he grew up attending swim lessons, you know his WHY.
Speaking for most Canadian poolies, you probably haven't heard of Life Floor because they still have a tiny footprint here. It's also inventing a completely new product category. You can be forgiven for thinking foam in a wet environment is unlikely to last - or work - until you've seen it happen. Ditto foam that can freeze & thaw outdoors in Canada during the winter?!
As always, I have no incentive to sell you a product; I'm here to tell you about a product I truly love that I think might solve a pain point you already have.
911Cellphonebank.org
I don't have any personal experience with this organization, but I've seen them at a few tradeshows and featured in industry publications, so I wanted to reshare for American poolies (I don't believe they have a mechanism for use in Canada).
Here's everything else I've been reading this week:
Work underway to fix Simmons pool after it was found to be too short for certification
The new pool was built too short! 😬
Redondo Beach City Council Nixes Seaside Lagoon Wave Pool Plans for Now
Drowning summit urges common safety language and protocols across the Great Lakes
AI cameras in pools to detect drowning give parents privacy concerns
I've been involved in ISO & ASTM certification committee work of drowning detection technology since 2020. In my opinion, this is not the same thing at all as criminals hacking photos of children from general security footage and using it to create criminal content. I will chat more about this topic in this week's upcoming YouTube Live video.
Renewal of Vancouver Aquatic Centre to proceed following court decision
Temescal Pool swimmers go to hospital with chemical injuries
This is always a good reminder to talk about chemical safety at your next aquatic staff meeting. This is a great video (10 mins) to start, before moving into a short discussion with facility-specific safe work procedures & concerns.
Overflowing pool caused partial hillside collapse in Hollywood Hills
Big consequences to accidentally leaving the fill line on....
School officials facing backlash over menstrual cycle pool policy
If you can look past the clickbait, I 100% understand from management experience where this policy comes from. When I used to operate municipal pools, we had school groups book pool time for gym/phys ed modules. I had several instances where female students told male teachers they couldn't swim for personal reasons.... for multiple consecutive weeks over the course of the semester. I'm not suggesting disclosure should be required, but in my personal opinion, in those specific cases I personally witnessed, I fully believe the female students were abusing a situation where they knew their (male) teachers could not do anything about a personal matter... but then would also complain about failing the pool unit at the end of the semester!
NYC triathlete dies after he’s found unconscious in water during Hamptons race
Mexico’s First Wave Pool Just Turned On The Tap
Computer error leads to 'extremely scary' swim
Kudos to him for changing his training regiment to account for this error - injuries & death occur when regular people push themselves to do big events like this. But why not just ask the organizers to transfer your registration to the correct event?
Portage Pool to be transitioned from Lac La Biche County back to Portage College
I was the pool manager in LLB for almost three years, so you can bet I'll be doing a whole newsletter next month about the facility development process. I'm missing the grand opening on October 18 due to a long-scheduled trip.
The history of Boulder’s Spruce Pool, born from an ice plant’s hot water
Heartbreaking Photos Show Refugees' Desperate Attempt to Save Drowning Children Off Coast of Greece
4-year-old remains on ventilator after near-drowning on Labor Day
It's not a "near drowning" if you're on a ventilator.
In superaged Japan, athletes are making waves well into their 90s
Swimming is part of their longevity.
Katie Crysdale
Lakeview Aquatic Consultants Ltd.
PS. Please submit anonymous advice column questions here for an upcoming newsletter!