High Heat and Wildfires: Keeping Safe

By Terry Arko

August can bring some of the hottest days of summer. Unfortunately, along with the extreme heat, many Western U.S. states are also hit by raging wildfires. As someone who worked as a service tech for 10 years in Southern California, I have experienced those truly “dog days” of summer with both extreme heat and fires. This year more than ever, it’s good to be aware of some practical safety tips to keep yourself safe while servicing pools.

Avoid Heat Exhaustion

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers many important and valuable tips on their website for preventing heat exhaustion. Here are a few additional ideas:

  • Dress cool. This is not too much of a problem for service pros. Wear light, quick drying swim shorts and sports shirts designed with a fast-drying moisture wicking fabric and UV protection. One example is the REI CO-OP Sahara T-Shirt. Wear loose shirts that allow airflow. Cool athletic shoes or sturdy sandals are preferable. Cooling towels around the neck can also be very helpful. Wear a hat with a large brim to shade the sun. Complete the ensemble with good quality UV resistant sunglasses.
  • Use a good quality SPF 50 sport sunscreen.
  • Stay Hydrated. Keep cool bottled water or a cooler of ice water with you. Don’t wait until you are thirsty. Drink often to slake your thirst and make sure to keep hydrated. Your body loses lots of electrolytes through perspiration and this can lead to heat stroke. Incorporate sports drinks or add small amounts of salt, sugar and lemon or lime juice to your water to keep yourself properly hydrated.
  • Keep cool. When feeling overheated, make sure to take a break and cool off. If allowed by your customers, use the hose with the nozzle on mist and spray yourself down with cool water. Or just sit in your vehicle with the AC on. Also, jumping in the pools you are servicing can help keep you cool as you travel from pool to pool. Again, suggest you make certain your customers don’t mind if you use their pool to cool off.

Tips for Wildfire Safety

Following are some tips from the HASA Tech Points sheet entitled “Clean Up After A Wildfire”:

  • Avoid areas of active wildfires and never cross emergency barriers to service a swimming pool or hot tub.
  • Carry protective gear and emergency supplies when working anywhere near an active wildfire. This includes having:
    • Extra drinking water
    • Respirator masks
    • Goggles
    • Fireproof blanket
  • Ensure that your cell phone is fully charged.
  • Park only in areas that allow ample room for emergency vehicle traffic.
  • Plan and allow for more than one route out of areas where wildfires are burning.
  • Work with a licensed electrician to restore power from damaged equipment connections.
  • Be aware of downed power lines.
  • Check and inspect for damage to plumbing lines and connections if the pool water was pumped out and used for fighting the fire.
  • Look for signs of erosion in the surrounding area that could lead to excessive flooding from future rainstorms. Prepare the area ahead of time with sandbags to protect the pool area and equipment.
  • Use liquid sodium hypochlorite for immediate chlorine introduction into the water to start getting the body of water balanced.

This could be one of the most challenging summers in the pool industry. Remember, you are ALL “essential workers” and your health and safety are vital to keeping our communities and families protected. Stay cool, stay safe. For further information, please free to reach out to me at AskTerry@hasapool.com. The first 10 Pool Pros to contact me with a tip on how they stay cool while servicing pools will receive some free HASA gear.

* For the complete Tech Points Sheet “Clean Up After A Wildfire,” please refer to the following link: https://bit.ly/328tGRy

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Alma Bunch

Director, Human Resources

Alma Bunch serves as Director of Human Resources for HASA, Inc. She has 25 years of collective experience in the human resources and finance fields. Ms. Bunch joined the HASA team in 2018 as Corporate Human Resources Manager and was appointed Director of Human Resources in February 2020.

Vinny Sharma

Vice President, Operations

Vinny Sharma joined HASA, Inc. in 2018 as a General Manager. He currently serves as Vice President of Operations, based in Saugus, CA. Mr. Sharma has held previous positions in the industry with other major brands such as Univar, ICL and Pepperidge Farms. Specializing in plant operations and supply chain optimization, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Production Engineering, and a Master’s degree in Engineering and Industrial Management from Northeastern University.

Rick Sawin

Vice President of Pool, Distribution and Sales

Rick Sawin is Vice President of Sales, Pool and Distribution at HASA, Inc. A veteran within the swimming pool product supply and water treatment industry, prior to joining HASA, he held multiple senior management positions at Leslie’s Poolmart, Inc., a leading retailer within the segment. With that organization, Mr. Sawin served consecutively as National Commercial Sales Manager, Director of Commercial Sales, Director of National Sales, Vice President of Commercial, and finally as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions. He was educated at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Angela Tran

Senior Vice President, Operations

Angela Tran serves as Senior Vice President, Operations of HASA, Inc., having joined the company in 2017. Prior to joining HASA, she served as Controller of Klune Industries, a subsidiary of Precision Castparts / Berkshire Hathaway, and began her career at Howmet Aerospace. She was educated at California State University, Fullerton, and Sam Houston State University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Rob Bzdil

Executive Vice President

Rob Bzdil serves as Executive Vice President for HASA, Inc., overseeing the company’s Industrial business and Supply Chain efforts. Prior to joining HASA, Mr. Bzdil held key positions in Business and New Product Development, Project and Process Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain and Finance. As a Chemical Engineer from Penn State University, he worked with Corning Glass, OxyChem and Pioneer Chlor-Alkali where he established his background in commodity and specialty chemicals.

Ken Ward

Cheif Financial Officer

Ken Ward serves as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of HASA, Inc., having joined the company in 2017. Prior to his current role, he was Group Controller at Aerospace Dynamics International and CFO at Klune Industries, both subsidiaries of Precision Castparts & Berkshire Hathaway. Mr. Ward also has held senior positions with Technicolor and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He was educated at the University of California Los Angeles.

Chris Brink

President and CEO

Chris Brink is CEO of HASA, Inc., overseeing all strategy, management and product development for the brand. He joined the company in 2018, first serving as HASA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). Prior to that, Mr. Brink served as Vice President of the Polyurethane Systems Division at Accella Performance Materials, a subsidiary of Carlisle Construction Materials. He also spent seven years at Henry Company, a building materials manufacturer, serving in a variety of operational roles and most recently as a Senior Vice President.