Lifeguard

A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in CPR/AED first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on requirements of their particular venue. In some areas, lifeguards are part of the emergency services system to incidents and in some communities, the lifeguard service also carries out mountain rescues, or may function as the primary EMS provider.

Lifeguarding role

Responsibilities

A lifeguard is responsible for the safety of people in an area of water, and usually a defined area immediately surrounding or adjacent to it, such as a beach next to an ocean or lake. The priority is to ensure no harm comes to users of the area for which they are responsible. Lifeguards often take on this responsibility upon employment, although they can also be volunteers.

The conditions resulting in drowning are summarized by the 'drowning chain' in which each link can lead directly to an incident, or contribute to a succession of links. It consists of lack of education about water safety or local conditions, a lack of safety advice (for example, about rip currents at a beach) a lack of protection (like no flotation device for a weak swimmer), lack of safety supervision, or an inability to cope with conditions (strong surf with a weak swimmer).

Lifeguard (film)

Lifeguard is a 1976 drama movie made by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Daniel Petrie, based upon a screenplay by Ron Koslow. It stars Sam Elliott, Anne Archer, Steve Burns, Parker Stevenson, and Kathleen Quinlan.

Sam Elliott plays Rick Carlson, a 32-year-old lifeguard on a Southern California beach who is prompted to question his goals in life when he receives an invitation to his 15-year high school reunion. At this reunion, he meets his high-school sweetheart, Cathy (played by Anne Archer), now the divorced mother of a young son. They resume their past relationship and Cathy encourages Rick to take a job as a Porsche salesman, offered to him by another high-school classmate. Meanwhile, Rick must deal with Wendy (played by Kathleen Quinlan), a lonely teenage girl who has developed a crush on him.

Principal cast

Lifeguard (automobile safety)

Lifeguard was the name of a 1956 safety package marketed by the Ford Motor Company.

Spurred by Robert McNamara, the Cornell University crash research program and the first year of Ford's own crash testing (1955) the Lifeguard package included: