Rules, Regulations, and Safety

The following rules and regulations are for the benefit and protection of Club members, their guests and staff. They are established for the safe use and sanitary operation of the pool.

Management and Responsibility

The Board of Directors is responsible for developing the pool rules. The Pool Manager, selected by the Board, is in full charge of the pool at all times, and is responsible for the maintenance, order, and cleanliness of the pool facilities. The Manager is also responsible for supervising staff and enforcing the rules of the Club. During the absence of the Pool Manager, an Assistant Manager will assume these responsibilities.
  • All members, children and guests use the pool and its facilities at their own risk and adhere to all policies, procedures and health and safety guidelines at all times.
  • Lifeguard directions must be adhered to by all patrons.
  • Member parents should know the whereabouts of their children and guests at all times and instruct their children and guests to observe all rules and obey the instructions of lifeguards, the Pool Manager, and pool staff.
  • The cost of any property damage to Club facilities will be charged to the responsible person or adult member.
  • The Club is not responsible for the loss or damage of personal belongings, valuables, bicycles, or vehicles on the pool grounds.
  • There is a lost and found located next to the office.
  • Members should report any incident or condition that could affect the safety and enjoyment of Club facilities.
  • Patrons who do not observe all rules or disobey, distract, or disrespect lifeguards may be asked to leave.

Regular Pool Hours

Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend:
  • MCPS School Days 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm (Friday night close at 9:00pm)
  • Non-school Days and Weekends 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (Sunday night close at 8:00pm)

Pool Closings/Limited Access

The pool may be closed when necessary for maintenance, cleaning, inclement weather, or swim and/or dive team events. County rules require closing the pool with just the sound of thunder, visible lightning, or other unsafe conditions, after which a period of time must pass before re-opening. In such situations, everyone must clear the pool area completely as instructed by the staff. Notices of scheduled closures for team events will be posted in advance at the pool and on the RESC website. Team events and practice sessions may close part or all of the pool area.

Entry Procedures

All patrons must check-in at the front desk. First and last names must be provided to the individual at check-in. All members of the family must be checked in. A child under the age of 10 can only be allowed in with a responsible person aged 16 years or older. Guards are responsible for reporting to both the family and the senior guard on shift if there is an issue with the account. Examples include “no active membership” or “membership suspended.”

Guest Policies

  • Each guest entering the pool must have a guest pass.
  • All guests – both swimming and non-swimming – must sign in with a member who presents a guest pass for each guest.
  • The member must remain at the pool while their guest(s) are in attendance.
  • Members are responsible for appraising their guests of Club rules and for their guests’ actions.
  • Each guest pass is $5.00. The member can pay up front or the additional costs can be charged to their account. If the member has already paid for guest passes, those can also be deducted from the account.
  • Each guest is permitted to visit RESC a maximum of 5 times during the yearly season.

Parties

In accordance with the RESC Party Rental Policy, members may host a party at the pool by making a reservation, based on availability of facilities, at least a week in advance with the RESC Board Social Chair and the Pool Manager. Any member bringing in 10 or more guests constitutes a party. The number of guests may be limited. There is a 3-hour time limit for parties, and a fee is required. Further fees may apply if additional staffing is required. The member must pay the regular guest fees for party attendees who are not members. All guests must adhere to RESC’s wristband policy (allow 30 minutes for swim testing).

Health Rules:

  • Take a soap shower and rinse before entering the pool.
  • Do not use the main pool or wading pool during or immediately following an illness.
  • Do not use the pool if you have any infections of the skin, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, or if you are wearing bandages.
  • Inform children and guests of the location of the bathrooms and require their use.
  • Diapers and rubber pants with elastic at the waist and legs must cover children not toilet trained.
  • If a child becomes fatigued or chilled, the Pool Manager may require the child to leave the pool to recover.
  • No pets are allowed within the fenced pool grounds.
  • Smoking is prohibited at the entrances or inside the bathhouse, and anywhere inside of the inner fenced area surrounding the pool. These prohibited areas include the grassy areas, the playground, blacktop, and pool deck. Smoking is permitted in the parking lot and other areas of the property. Members and guests should avoid smoking in areas where the smoke could drift into prohibited areas.
  • When coming from the grassy areas, use the foot baths to rinse feet before entering the pool.
  • All swimmers should be properly attired for swimming.

Safety Rules:

  • Any and all injuries occurring on the premises must be reported immediately to the Pool Manager.
  • No running, pushing, acrobatics, wrestling, or disruptive behavior on the deck.
  • No roughhousing or riding on, sitting, standing, or launching off anyone's shoulders in the water.
  • Behaviors such as pretending to drown, breath-holding contests, throwing or pushing others into the water are prohibited.
  • Do not flip from the sides of the pool or perform stunts from or on the pool deck.
  • Social conversation with any guard in a guard chair is not allowed.
  • All children under the age of 16 must observe a 15- minute rest period at designated hourly intervals ("Adult Swim"), unless expressly excused by the Pool Manager or the lifeguards.
  • All children under 16 years of age must demonstrate water competency skills to enter the main pool.
    • Wristbands are used to identify children eligible to enter the main pool.
    • Ask pool staff to schedule a water competency test.
    • Once tested and approved, a child is issued a wristband they must wear at all times in the pool.
    • Children without a wristband will be denied access to the main pool if they are unaccompanied.
    • Wristbands must be worn on the wrist, not on the ankle.
    • Lost/misplaced wristbands may be purchased for $3 in the pool office.
  • Use caution on the slide stairs and platform.
  • Soft balls are allowed in the pool. All other balls are only permitted in the grass area.
  • Rafts, noodles, or other floating items are not allowed in the pool except at designated times.
  • Kickboards should not be used as floating devices.
  • Floaties and life vests used to allow young children to stay afloat are prohibited. They restrict movement and give a false sense of security. If a child is wearing a life vest or floaties, they cannnot turn over in the pool. This can lead to drowning.
  • The playground equipment is restricted to children 10 and under who are under direct supervision of a responsible person 16 years of age or older.
  • The wading pool is limited to children 5 and under who are under direct supervision of a responsible person 16 years of age or over. The Club DOES NOT furnish a lifeguard in the wading pool area.
  • Water guns are not allowed.
  • Glass containers are not allowed on the property.
  • Abusive language shall not be used on pool property.
  • Use of illicit drugs, firearms, or fireworks on pool property is prohibited.
  • Alcoholic beverages in any form are prohibited on pool grounds except for special occasions specifically authorized by the Board.
  • Food or drinks may not be consumed on the pool deck. Food and drinks should be consumed only in the grassy areas or on the blacktop.
  • Chewing gum is not allowed in the pool.
  • Drive slowly and carefully in the driveways and in the parking areas.
  • Park only in prescribed areas. Do not block the emergency exit gates. This is the first gate on the left when entering the parking lot and the gate by the blacktop.
  • Avoid parking on Gainsborough Road or Deborah Drive, unless the RESC lot is full.
  • Do not blow automobile horns to summon anyone from the pool.

 Diving and Diving Well:

  • Diving is allowed only from the diving boards. Do not dive or attempt flips into shallow water, such as the lap lanes or the 5-feet-deep water on the side of the pool opposite the pool house.
  • Diving from the boards is allowed only when a guard is at a diving well station.
  • One person on the board at a time; climb up the ladder after the person is off the board.
  • Do not come back down from the ladder - if you start to climb the ladder you need to go off the board.
  • Do not dive from the side of the board.  Jump straight out from the boards and exit at the ladders.
  • Do not dive until the diver before you has reached the exit ladder in the well.
  • Do not double bounce on the board.
  • Do not hang from the diving boards.
  • Do not sit on the diving boards.
  • Use of the 3 meter diving board is height restricted. If you are shorter than the tape on the ladder, you are not permitted to use the 3 meter board.
  • Patrons in the well must swim to the ladders after going off the diving boards.
  • No free swimming is allowed in the diving well unless authorized by the Pool Manager or a team coach.
  • Patrons may not wear goggles on the diving boards. Upon impact with the water, goggles can hurt one's face or fall off. It is difficult to retrieve goggles that fall to the bottom of the pool.
  • Patrons may not “catch” children when they jump off the board. To observe children, guardians can sit on the gutters near the diving board. Guardians cannot be in front of the boards or on the wall in the diving well.

Slide:

  • Only one person is allowed on the slide at all times. No exceptions for parents carrying infants or children.
  • Do not place a child halfway up the slide and let them slide down.
  • Patrons may not sit or stand on the bottom of the slides. Patrons must be clear of the bottom of the slide before anyone can use the slide.
  • Patrons must remain feet first on their backs or bottoms at all times when using the slide.

 Lap Lanes:

  • Three people in a lap lane at a time.
  • Patrons may not jump the lap lane or cut through it.
  • Patrons must stay off the lap lane ropes at all times.

COVID-19:

  • RESC follows the guidance set forth by Montgomery County.
  • Individuals not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear a mask/face covering if a distance of 6' cannot be maintained from individuals from outside of their household.
  • Masks/face coverings should not be worn when in the water by any individual.
  • DO NOT come to the pool if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.

Water Competency for Children / Wristband Policy

To enhance the safety and supervision of our youngest members and guests, RESC follows a water competency system for all patrons under the age of 16.
  • Those who have passed a water competency test must wear a yellow RESC wristband to be allowed into the main pool area (the diving well and the “laned” section of the pool that runs from 3-feet-deep in the shallow end near the bathhouse to 5-feet-deep on the opposite side of the pool). 
  • Swim tests will be given by a lifeguard during the 15-minute “rest” periods that begin at 45 minutes after the hour, also known as adult swim. Those taking the test are required to swim one length (25 meters) and then tread water in the deep end for 30 seconds.
  • Those under 16 who wish to enter the water but do not have a wristband must stay behind the rope in the lagoon area or the kiddie pool — unless they are with a parent/guardian or swim instructor who is in within an arm’s length of the child.
  • RESC recognizes that some of our youngest swimmers who have not been in the water since the previous summer might have some catching up to do with their swim skills at the beginning of each summer season. For this reason, every child 10 years of age and younger must take the swim test at the beginning of each season, even if they passed the test the previous year.
  • For visiting camps that have wristband policies and sufficient supervision, RESC will recognize their color-coded wristband rules. RESC lifeguards should enforce the rules as they would our own wristband policy.
  • The office will keep a log of those who pass the test and earn a wristband. If a wristband is lost, a replacement may be purchased for $3. No cash is required: A family member will sign for the new wristband and the family will be billed.
  • Those who do not pass the swim test may not take it again the same day and will be encouraged to take swim lessons, which are available from RESC lifeguards and swim coaches, and through various programs in Montgomery County. Among them:
    •   Kennedy-Shriver Aquatic Center (240-777-8070)
    •   Rockville Swim Center (240-314-8750)
    •   YMCA of Bethesda/Chevy Chase (301-530-8500)
 
Updated May 2022
Pool Address:
11511 Gainsborough Road
Potomac, MD 20854

Contact Us:
rescpool@gmail.com
Phone: (301) 299-5208 (Summer Season Only)
Mailing Address:
PO Box 341913
Bethesda, MD 20827