A Metro Vancouver trampoline park operator is asking the B.C. government to create safety regulations for the industry, less than a month after a man died at one of its facilities.
"I would welcome the opportunity work with your government to develop comprehensive regulations that give the public confidence that, in addition to the hard work trampoline parks put into ensuring the safety of their guests, there is Provincial oversight into trampoline park safety as well," Michael Marti, the owner of Extreme Air Parks, wrote in a letter to Premier John Horgan.
Technical Safety BC oversees permitting and inspecting for the province's amusement park rides, some waterslides and ziplines, while swimming pools are subject to regulations enacted directly by the legislature.
The agency, however, told CTV News there are "no specific regulations" for businesses such as Extreme Air Parks. Municipalities don't have a regulatory role when it comes to trampoline parks either.
Marti is calling for "a hybrid approach that regulates the equipment and facilities under Technical Safety BC and operations in a manner that is comparable with swimming pools.”
The letter comes less than a month after 46-year-old Jay Greenwood died at the company's Richmond location.
According to police, the Victoria man suffered serious injury and cardiac arrest after he fell while performing a series of "acrobatic manoeuvres."
"As a family entertainment company whose highest priority is the safety of its customers, we are devastated by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the family involved," Extreme Air Parks said in a statement at the time.
The results of a coroner's investigation into the death are still pending.
To date, Marti said paramedics have been called to Extreme Air Parks a total of 87 times. That’s one ambulance call in 11,550 visitors for a company that has seen more than a million guests since opening its first B.C. location in 2013.
This, however, was the first fatal incident ever.
Extreme Air Parks has faced legal action on two occasions, he said. Both cases were settled out of court.
Other Canadian trampoline parks have also been in the spotlight over safety concerns.
In January 2017, 19-year-old Landon Smith was left paralyzed after a jump at trampoline park near Edmonton.
Smith filed a $17-million lawsuit against the facility last month, alleging it didn't do enough to ensure his safety.
Without regulations to help prevent these kinds of tragedies, Marti said his company has tried to model its practices after jurisdictions where the trampoline park industry is regulated.
According to the letter, all visitors are instructed on how to safely use the equipment and sign a waiver acknowledging the safety risks.
Extreme Air Parks operates trampoline facilities in Richmond, Langley and New Westminster as well as one in Calgary.