Water Safety at the Y

AngelEye is an advanced water safety monitoring system that serves as an assistance device for on-duty lifeguards. It is designed to support lifeguards, not replace them, by helping identify potential swimmer distress and providing alerts that may allow for a faster response. 

Water safety is a top priority at the YMCA. We are continually evaluating ways to enhance safety for our members and guests, and AngelEye provides an additional layer of protection in our indoor aquatic facilities.

Drowning can happen quietly and much faster than many people realize. In fact, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance reports that most drownings are “passive,” wherein people stop swimming and sink silently. AngelEye is designed to support lifeguards by helping identify potential concerns sooner, giving them more time to respond during an emergency. Even a small amount of additional response time can make a meaningful difference.

AngelEye uses a combination of underwater and above-water cameras to continuously monitor pool activity. The system is designed to detect patterns and behaviors that may indicate a swimmer is in distress.

If the system detects a potential concern, it sends an alert to on-duty lifeguards via a small, dedicated smart watch so they can quickly assess the situation and take appropriate action. AngelEye supports human decision-making and emergency response; it does not replace lifeguard supervision, and lifeguards do not see live video. The AngelEye dedicated watch device only displays images and diagrams of the pool when a potential emergency is detected and the alarm sounds.

We understand that parents are increasingly concerned about how camera and AI technologies are used around children. We take very seriously our responsibility to provide a safe environment for individuals of all ages who utilize our facilities, and the priority of our teams is to ensure our data security, privacy and child protection policies and practices are at the forefront of our staff training and built environments. 

As an organization entrusted to protect children and a longtime participant in Praesidum Child Abuse Prevention programs, we take care to consider child protection in all aspects of our work, including decisions related to technology. Privacy and safety were both important considerations in our decision to implement AngelEye.

The system's sole purpose is drowning detection and emergency response. It is not designed to identify swimmers, does not use facial recognition, and does not require personal information such as names, membership records, or other identifying data to operate. 

No.

AngelEye's drowning-detection function does not use facial recognition, biometric identification, or any swimmer's personal identity to operate. The system is designed to identify potential drowning situations, not individual people. 

No.

Footage captured at YMCA facilities is not used to train or retrain AngelEye's AI models. AngelEye member footage is not used for machine-learning optimization or other unrelated AI-development purposes. 

Protecting member privacy is a priority for the YMCA.

AngelEye operates on a secured network architecture that underwent rigorous security review. Video footage is not stored in the cloud. Camera views are configured to monitor pool areas, and images captured by the system are used only for drowning detection, emergency response, and, when applicable, lifeguard training.

Images are not sold or shared for commercial purposes. 

Yes.

The system utilizes multiple security measures, including encryption, user permissions, authentication controls, physical security protections, and software updates. These safeguards work together to help protect information.

Protecting details about our specific system configurations, etc. is an important data security measure, so it is not appropriate to share those. However, any images captured by AngelEye are automatically and regularly discarded unless they are related to an emergency.

Staff training is provided at every YMCA center where the technology is installed.

No.

AngelEye is an assistance device for lifeguards and serves as an additional layer of support. Trained lifeguards remain responsible for actively supervising swimmers and responding to emergencies. They receive the same emergency response training and maintain the same certifications that were required before AngelEye was in use. AngelEye helps support those efforts by providing additional monitoring and alert capabilities. 

The YMCA announced the implementation of AngelEye in May 2026, and later communicated with members via email regarding installation of the system and its role in supporting water safety, as the technology was activated at each location.