Nov 18, 2008 10:53 pm US/Central
I-TEAM: Inflatable Issues
(WCCO)
Some people used to call them "moonwalks" and it seems like they only popped up at school carnivals or fairs. Now large inflatable bounce houses have become big business. But the I-TEAM found with no oversight by the state and little supervision inside, some inflatable party places could be putting your children in danger.
Lisa Schmidt, a mother from Victoria, Minn., was enjoying a day with her family at a Pump It Up indoor play area last winter when her middle son, Ryan, jumped from the base of a slide and fell head first to the ground below.
"It's scary. It's very scary," she said. "The sound was unbelievable and right away some blood started coming from his nose."
Ryan suffered a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain. He had to wear a helmet when he came home from the hospital.
Schmidt blames Pump It Up.
"These accidents could easily be avoided if they would just follow their own industry standards," she said.
However, industry standards only go so far. The I-TEAM found in Minnesota, they're virtually meaningless because the state doesn't require companies to comply with those industry standards.
Twenty-five other states do inspect places like Pump It Up to make sure they follow the rules set by both manufacturers and an outside agency called the American Society for Testing and Materials.
Some of those standards require operators to:
• "Monitor activity on the inflatable devices at all times during operations";
• "Conform with or meet height, weight or age restrictions" for the inflatable;
• "Provide the appropriate number of attendants, according to a minimum specified by the manufacturer".
"That particular night, my husband and I did notice that there wasn't anyone watching," Schmidt said.
Supervision is something Pump It Up advertises. The company's Web site said, "Trained staff members are present at all times to ensure that rules are followed" and that "rules are explained to all guests prior to every event."
The I-TEAM sent in an undercover producer and photographer to Pump It Up to check if it was supervised. To get a broader picture of the industry, they also went to it's competitor, Club Just Jump in Eden Prairie.
At Pump It Up, the I-TEAM saw a few staff members walking around, but no one stationed at each inflatable. Later, the I-TEAM asked about that.
"The manufacturer says there needs to be an adult at every piece of equipment," said reporter Terri Gruca.
"That is the manufacturer's standards for the outdoor inflatable industry. And because of our controlled environment we have indoors the manufacturer has agreed to give us an exemption," said Kelly McGowan, the franchise owner of Pump it Up in Eden Prairie.
That's not what the manufacturer told the I-TEAM.
"That's not true," said Brian Field, president of Cutting Edge Creations which makes the inflatables for Pump it Up. "In fact, there's a stop sign there that we put on that warns everybody, not just the operator, but the parents and kids that don't enter this unless there's an operator on duty."
The I-TEAM saw those signs on every inflatable at both Pump It Up and Club Just Jump, but at Club Just Jump, the I-TEAM found out there is never anyone watching during open jump time.
"Do you have somebody in here watching?" asked the I-TEAM producer.
"Not during open play we don't," a Club Just Jump staff member said.
In a phone interview, Club Just Jump's manager Mary Buelow said the company has never had an accident and said, "If I were to staff the inflatables as the manufacturer required, we'd have to charge people a lot more than $6.00 to jump and we'd have no business."
"It's really easy to buy an inflatable and just put them out there," said Field. "Kids are going to go, kids are going to flock to them but it's making sure they're operating correctly."
Pump It Up said it does try hard to make sure children are safe -- and that they voluntarily follow the some of the standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials, including provisions for anchoring inflatables to the floor.
When the I-TEAM told Club Just Jump about the anchoring standards, the company did not know anything about them, but said it may consider anchoring the inflatables in the future.
Field said another safety risk parents should be aware of is having people of different heights and weights jumping at the same time.
"You wouldn't want to have an adult with a small child playing on the same inflatable," said Field.
Yet the I-TEAM producer was told she could go in with her toddler.
"You're fine because you're there specifically with your daughter," a Pump it Up staffer told the I-TEAM producer.
"Adults can go in all of them with the kids," said a staffer at Club Just Jump.
With no oversight by the state, there's no one to enforce the rules set by manufacturers which means the state can't take action against a company when someone gets hurt.
So who is to blame when children like Ryan get hurt? Pump It Up said it's not the businesses fault when he and another boy were injured in separate incidents.
The company said in the four years its been in business, it has had only those two injuries in the Twin Cities.
"The incidents didn't occur because of our equipment or our facility," said McGowan, franchise owner of Pump it Up. "It did occur while they were playing and it was the way the children were playing on it."
Ryan's mom disagrees, and is suing the company.
"A trained person would have stopped his jumping," said Schmidt.
"We have the safety video running at all times and it loops around and we recommend that you watch it before you go in to play," said McGowan.
"Do you require people watch the safety video?" asked Gruca.
"We do not make you sit there, no. We suggest you watch it," said McGowan.
The last time the Minnesota legislature modified its amusement park ride provisions, it chose not to include regulation for inflatables. That disappoints Schmidt.
"This inflatable fun zone is more like an amusement park than it is a city park. These inflatable rides, just because they're filled with air, they're rides. And they need supervision," she said.
"Pump It Up" said it works hard to make sure children are safe. It voluntarily follows some standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials like anchoring inflatables to the floor.
When the I-TEAM told "Club Just Jump" about those anchoring standards, the company didn't know anything about them but said it may consider doing that in the future.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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