The security director of the Club de Mar Mallorca explains the fundamental guidelines for successful handling of possible incidents.

The best security is not seen, and to achieve this there are two fundamental principles: good prevention and excellent organisation. Pedro Barceló has been in charge of the security department at the Club de Mar Mallorca for the last four years. His main objective is therefore to design and implement a security protocoll to prevent incidents from happening, and to coordinate and transmit a culture of safety to the team members so that should something happen, the facilities and all the staff are perfectly prepared for it.

That “something” covers a wide range of incidents: falls, injuries, serious health problems, storms, polluting spills, fires, inundations, sinking of boats and a long etcetera. Each of the points on this list requires specific preparation, first to anticipate and try to prevent it from happening and, if it is unavoidable, to have the necessary means and know-how to deal with the situation in the best possible way with the aim of reducing the consequences to zero.

Pedro Barceló is aware that the best way to deal with any incident is for all Club de Mar staff to know what to do in each situation: “We carry out annual training for all departments which includes first aid, fire-fighting  and how to deal with a cardiorespiratory arrest, and we carry out at least two drills, one fire-fighting and one environmental, for possible spillages”, explains the Club de Mar’s safety director.

The Club de Mar has a protocol, Code One, which is known by all the staff of the entity, regardless of the department where they work. The protocol establishes step by step instructions to follow in case of any emergency.

This protocol is divided into two sections: “The first refers to cases in which we can solve the incident with our own means and the second, when it is necessary to call outside personnel, such as the fire brigade or emergency medical personnel,” explains Barceló.

All the training, prevention and simulation exercises evolve progressively to include possible new incidents and to keep updated on old skills . In this respect, Pedro Barceló points out: “In the last drill we implemented new measures to face possible risks such as interventions in unbreathable or explosive atmospheres and establishing new self-protection measures”.

In firefighting, the Club de Mar has recently incorporated a modern fire-fighting engine with the capacity to propel water more than 40 metres away. It can be moved to any point on the premises and has the option of being supplied directly from the sea. It can also launch foam concentrate, depending on the type of fire that needs to be extinguished.

In addition, the facilities have the fire-fighting equipment required by prevention and safety regulations: portable and mobile fire extinguishers, BIE (Equipped Fire Hydrants) and hydrant connections to which the firemen can connect their hoses to obtain more water flow if necessary. Pedro Barceló points out a new addition: “We also have fire extinguishing devices that are like balloons that are thrown into the area affected by the flames and on impact expand the fire-fighting agent inside them. They are very practical in locations difficult to access”.

Club de Mar Mallorca also always has an emergency vehicle on permanent duty equipped with all the necessary material to deal with any type of incident at any point in the facilities as quickly as possible: bilge pumps, first aid equipment and fire-fighting equipment.

As far as first aid is concerned, Club de Mar is already registered with the health department of the Balearic government as a cardio-protected area. Two semi-automatic external defibrillators are permanently installed in the club. “Fifty percent of the staff are trained to use them, so we guarantee that in all departments and on all shifts there will always be someone prepared to use them effectively,” says the club’s security director.

All this constant effort may go unnoticed, but that is certainly its greatest success, because, according to Pedro Barceló: “The results of the security plan have always been very good, thanks above all to the training and involvement of the staff and the constant practice. The opportunity to work successfully together with external agents, such as the Port Authority and fire brigade makes the emergency management more coordinated and effective.

However, it is never enough: “We are constantly refining details and procedures to improve based of the experience we accumulate both in the simulations and in the real incidents that may arise, however minor they may be,” acknowledges Pedro Barceló. The objective is to work on prevention and training in order to provide a rapid and effective response in the event of an emergency.