The Pool Safety Council (PSC) has received a number of telephone enquiries about current Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) CPR signs. In December 2010, the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) amended its CPR guideline to reverse the order of giving breaths and compressions during CPR.
The current QAS CPR signs reflect this version of the guideline. However, the PSC continues to support the practice outlined in section 13A of the Building Regulation 2006. The PSC believes that Guideline 7—cardiopulmonary resuscitation, published by the ARC in February 2006, provides guidelines specific to immersion incidents. Newer QAS CPR signs that do not reflect Guideline 7 are therefore not supported for immersion incidents.
Pool safety inspectors should be aware that the December 2010 changes to the CPR guidelines have not affected the standard applied in Queensland. Inspectors should therefore check that CPR signs reflect the giving of breaths before compressions are administered.