The incident was reported by UAB “Grinda”, which received a notification from the Vilnius County Chief Police Commissariat. The video footage handed over to the police shows children, while swimming in the fountain, lifting the grates and closing each other under them. The “Grinda” emergency street service crew, arriving at the scene, temporarily ensured safety by placing two granite blocks on the grates. Considering the potential danger to residents’ safety, “Grinda” contacted the company responsible for the fountain’s maintenance, requesting an urgent assessment of the situation and organization of necessary work to eliminate the hazard.
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Mantvydas Šakalys, head of UAB “Poolservice.lt”, which installed and maintains the “Pumpuras” fountain, emphasizes that this fountain and other fountains with open water reservoirs and pools are not intended for swimming (this is not a swimming pool), so the behavior captured in the video raises very serious concerns.
“First of all, it is important to understand one very important thing – this is not a swimming or bathing pool. It is a city fountain whose purpose is to decorate the public space, not to be a place for bathing or playing. The video clearly shows that the children were left without adult supervision and were arbitrarily opening the technical parts of the fountain. Such behavior can pose a real danger to their health and life,” says M. Šakalys.
According to him, there is sometimes a mistaken belief in society that all technical fountain structures must be hermetically locked, but this is not always possible when operating city fountains. “These doors are not locked with screws because they are constantly needed for fountain maintenance – the pump room, filtration system are checked daily, and operational work is carried out. This is technical access for specialists, not a place where unauthorized persons should enter. Therefore, it is very important that children do not play near such equipment and that parents do not leave them unattended,” he notes.
The danger is not theoretical
According to fountain and pool project expert M. Šakalys, operating pump systems create strong water flows, so entering the technical zone can have very painful consequences. “I don’t even want to imagine how this case could have ended. When I saw the video, I immediately remembered the accident at Vilnius ‘Vichy’ water park. Of course, this is not an identical situation – here we are talking about a city fountain, not a water amusement park, but the danger comes from the same principle – an operating pump system. That is why the technical parts of the fountain are not a place for playing, and children should not be left near them without adult supervision,” says M. Šakalys.
I don’t even want to imagine how this case could have ended.
More than a decade ago, an accident at Vilnius “Vichy” water park, where a child was sucked into the water intake system and suffered very serious injuries, remains one of the most painful reminders of the consequences that careless contact with operating water equipment systems can cause.
Technology alone is not enough
The head of UAB “Poolservice.lt” emphasizes that even when fountains are installed according to all technical requirements, it is impossible to completely eliminate risk if the technical equipment is used improperly.
“No technology can protect against deliberate dismantling or improper use of technical elements. Public fountains with open water reservoirs/pools are not playgrounds. We strongly urge parents not to leave young children unattended and to explain to them that the technical elements of the fountain are not toys. Sometimes just a few seconds are enough for an accident to happen.”
The company notes that it cooperates with responsible city institutions and is evaluating additional measures that would further complicate unauthorized persons’ access to technical equipment.
UAB “Poolservice.lt” also urges residents not to remain indifferent – if dangerous behavior near fountains or other city engineering facilities is noticed, to warn children, their parents, or inform the responsible services.
This incident ended happily, but specialists emphasize that it should serve as a serious warning. City fountains with open water reservoirs/pools are not intended for bathing, and their technical equipment is not designed for children’s games. Therefore, responsible adult behavior and child supervision remain the most important measures to prevent accidents.
Currently, additional technical measures have been taken, and the mentioned grates have been screwed shut so that children cannot remove them, although this significantly complicates fountain maintenance and grate cleaning.
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