Pine Bluff mayor says lifeguard staffing was deficient after swimmer's death

Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers, in her first public interview since the death of 84-year-old Iridell Collins at the city's aquatic center, said she waited to speak until she had the facts and would not pre-empt a pending investigation.

"To get all of the facts, I ran on transparency and accountability, and transparency and accountability don't just happen when things are going well," Flowers said, explaining a period of sensitivity and privacy for the family informed the delay.

Flowers said an early review of the incident clarified that the Board of Health staffing standard the facility had been using required one lifeguard for every 15 people, and that staffing "for opening the entire facility was deficient." The mayor's account echoed a report indicating Collins went unnoticed in the pool area for nearly an hour.

When asked whether the hour-long period was the result of the 1-to-15 ratio or of Collins being in a less visible area, Flowers declined to assign causation and said she would "leave that at this point to the criminal investigation." She added that the lifeguards who were present "were horrified."

Addressing criticism that policy changes are occurring only after Collins's death, Flowers said that while she prioritizes numerous city concerns daily, the city will respond appropriately to serious incidents. "We are going to work diligently to ensure it never happens again," she said when asked what she and staff had learned.

The mayor said the city is still waiting on the state crime lab to determine Collins's official cause of death and that she expects to have more information after the lab's findings are released.