Red Cross Certification

LIFEGUARD
___

Notes

Characteristics of a pro lifeguard -

Knowledgeable and Skilled

Reliable

Mature

Courteous and Consistent

Positive

Be Professional

● Wear the lifeguard uniform on duty

● Sitting or standing attent at the lifeguard station
● Be well groomed
● Keep resque equipment positioned for immediate use when on duty
● Keeping you eyes focused on your assigned zone of responsibility at all times
● Keep interations w/ patrons brief
● Transfer and handle equipment carefully
● Observ all facility rules, regulations, and policies
● Eat only when on break or off survalence duty

Be healthy and Fit

● Stay in good physical condition

○ Excersise. An excersise program should include swimming and water excersises
that focus on building endurance and developing strength
○ Eat and hydrate properly
 ○ Rest adequetly

Protect yourself from sun exposure

● Use sunscreen with a spf of at least 30

● Use an umbrella or shade structure for sun protection and to help keep cool
● Wear a shirt and hat with a brim that shades your face ears and bact of your neck and
use polarized sunglasses with uva/uvb protection
● Drink plenty of water
● Take breaks in cool or shaded areas

Things not to do

● Don’t leave your station while on duty

● Don’t use mobile phones on duty
● Don’t slouch on lifeguard stand
● Don’t converse at lifeguard station
● Don’t eat at the lifeguard station
● Do not leave the facility while on duty
● Don’t use alcohol or drugs

Duty to Act

● Statndard of care
○ You are expected to meet a minimum standard of care, which may be established
in part by your traning program and in part by dtate or local authorities.
■ Communicate prper information and warnings to help prevent injuries
■ Recognize somone in need of care
■ Attempt to rescue thoes needing assistance
■ Provide emergency care according to your level of training
● Negligence
○ When a person is injured or suffers additional harm because lifeguard failed to
follow the standard of care or failed to act at all, the lifeguards may be
considered negligent.
■ Failing to control or stop behaviors that could result in further harm or
injury
■ Failing to provide care
■ Providing inappropriate care
 ■ Providing care beyond the scope of practice or level of training
● Confidentiality
○ While making a rescue or providing care you may leard something about the
injured or ill person, such as information about medical conditions, physical
problems and medications taken. Laws protect this person’s right to privacy.
● Documentation
○ Properly documenting injuries and incidents is very important. If legal action
occurs later, your records can provide legal documentation of what was seen,
heard, and done at the scene. Complete the required forms as soon as possible
after the incident, preferably immediately after the incident has wrapped up so
details are not forgotten
○ When completing a report, state the facts of the incident without including your
opinion. Once the report is complete, sign and date it and havel all responders
read the report, then sign and date it as well.
● Consent and Refusal of Care
○ An injured pr ill person must give permission before responders can provide first
aid and emergency care. To obtain consent:
■ State your name
■ State your level of training
■ Ask if you may help
■ Explain that you would like to assess them to find out what you think
may be wrong or what you can do to help
■ Explain what you plan to do.
○ Someone who is unresponsive, confused, or seriously injured or ill (ex nonfatel
drowning) may not be able to grant consent. In these cases, the law assumes the
victim would give consent if they were able to do so. This is called implied
consent. Implied consent also applies to a minor who needs emergency medical
assistance and whose parent or guardian is not present.
○ Some injured or ill people may refuse care, even if they desperatly need it.
Parents also refuse care for their children. Even though someone may be
seriously injured, their wishes must be honored.
● Abandonment
○ Once care in initiated, it must be continued until emergency medical services
personnel or someone with equal or greater training arrives and takes over. You
 can be held legally responsible for abandoning a person who requires ongoing
care if you leave the scene or stop providing care.

Continued training

● EArning a lifeguarding certification means you have successfully compleated a training

cource and passed written and skill evaluations ona given date. IT does not man that
you have learned everything there is to know about lifeguarding. Once hired as a
lifeguard, you should expect that you will be required to continue your training
● It is the responsibility of facility management to provide direction and help lifeguards
maintain and build skills and to provide a pre-service evaluation, annual or preseason
orientation and training, a policies and procedures manual and regular inservice
training.

Pre-Service Evaluation

● Facilities often require lifeguard applications to hold a current training certificate from
a nationally recognized agency, such as American Red Cross. State codes, insurance
company rules and standards of organizations to which your facility belongs may
require your employer to evaluate your current skill level. Your employer may have your
participate in rescue scenarios to ensure that you understand your responsibilities
within your team and are familiar with your facility’s layout and equipment.

Annual or Preseason Orientation and Training

● Lifeguards should have annual training.

● Espessialy important for seasonal lifeguards
● Annual training cna include
○ Review courses
○ Review first aid
○ CPR/AED
○ lifeguarding knowledge & skills
● An orientation session about facility operations and lifguards’ responsibilities helps
both new and returning lifeguards understand tha facility, their responsibilities and
management’s expectations. The orientation is critical for learning what is unique about
your workplace and how it differs from the enviornment in which you were trained. Ask
your employer questions abut your facility and bemore completely familiar with your
facility’s operations
Policies and Procedures Manual

● A policies and Procedures Manual should provide the information that you need to
understand what is expected of you
● Usually includes administrative policies and procedures, personnel policies and
guidelines, and standard operating procedures.

Regular In-Service Training

● It is designed to help you maintain your knowledge and skills at a professional level
● Also gives a chance to practice w/ other lifeguards
● Participate in a minimum of 4 hours of in-service training each month.
● The following may conduct serviec training
○ Facility manager
○ Lifeguard supervisor
○ A headlifeguard or expet in a particular subject
■ Puplic helath official
■ Risk manager
■ Human resource rep
● They will address issues such as
○ surveillance and recognition
○ Water and land rescue skills
○ Emergency responce skills
○ Decistion-making protocols
○ Facility rules and regulations
○ Customer service
○ Records and reports
○ Physical conditioning

Maintaining your Certification

● There is a validity period on for your certification. Additional training may be required
to meet state and local regulations or facility-specific policies. Your facility
management should be aware of any further training requirements

Further Training

● FAcilities also may offer lifeguards the opportunity to pursue further training for other
jobs
 ○ The Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor course
○ The REd Cross Lifeguard management course
○ The Red Cross Water and Safety Instructor and Basic Swim Instructor courses
○ Various organizations offer pool operator training for those that will be
responsible for the actual mechanical and chemical operations of the pool.

Facility Safety and Paron Surveillance

Lifeguardz are requred to

● Prevent injuries by conducting safety inspections of the facility, the water, equipment
and attractions
● Recognize and respond to the changing water and weather conditions that ccan occur
● Work with management and other lifeguards to create and maintain a safe aquatice
facility that provides safe experiences for all

Rescue Equipment

● Aquatic facilities must have the appropriate rescue equipment available and in proper
working order at all times for emergency response
● Alway wear or carry a whistle, rescue tube, resuscitation mask, and gloves so that they
are instantly available in an emergency

Weather Conditions

Thunder and Lightning

● Need to know facility procedures to clear paretons from the water and deck before an
impending storm.
● If thunder or lighting occur, clear everyone from the eater and at the first sound of
thunder or first sight of lightning
○ Get off of an elevated station imidiatly
○ Move everyone to a safe area free from contact with water, plumbing or electrical
circuits
○ For outdoor facilities move everyone inside, if possible
● If thunder and lightning occur
○ Keep patrons and staff out of showers and locker rooms durring a thunderstorm
as water can conduct electricity
○ Do not use a telephone connected to a landline except in an emergency
 ○ Keep everyone away from windows and metal objects
○ Watch for more storms and mmonitor weater reports on radio or TV broadcast,
weather readio or website
○ The National Lightning Safety Institute recomends watiing 30 minutes after the
last lightning sighting or sound of thunder before resuming activities

Caught in a Thunderstorm

● IF caught outside in a thunderstorm

○ Keep awayf rom tall trees standing along and any tall structures
○ Keep away from water and meatal objects
○ Keep as low to the ground as possible but to not lie on the ground
■ Keep hands off the ground

Other weater condidtions

● Fog, wind, or heavy rain may also cause safety concerns

○ Clear the deck if there are safety concerns
○ Clear the pool if visibility is impaired by waves or increased turbidity
● IN the event of power failure, clear the pool

Rules And Regulations

Managment and facility Safety

Managment is responsible for

● Creating reviewing and revising facility policies and procedure, rules and regulations
and emergency action plans and needed
● Addressing unsafe conditions
● Complyting with federal, state and local laws and regulations for facility operations and
employment
● Maintainging records regarding the facility and its employees
● Assisting after an emergency
● Conducting drills to test zones
● Ensuring that the size and shape of zones and lifeguard stations are appropriate

Federal, State and Local Regulations

● Lifeguard certification requirements

 ● Facility design and safety features
● Pool capacities
● Staff training requirements and lifeguard competencies
● Ratio of lifeguards to patrons
● Water sanitation procedures
● First aid equipment and supplies
● Lifeguarding equipment
● Diving depths

OSHA

● Occupational Safety and Health Administration establishes regulations designed to keep

employees safe while on the job. The purpose of the Hazard Communication Standard is
to inform and protect employees from exposure to hazardous chemical in the workplace

Safety Data Sheets

● Each chemical has an information sheet called a Safety Data Sheet

● Which describes special precaoutions to take when storing or using the cheminal, in
addition to safety precautions needed when cleaning up chemical spills. The SDS also
explains what to do should you come into contact with the chemical. These douments
must be easy to find and use. Besure to know where SDSs are kept and how to fine the
information.

Employees Have a Right to Know

● Which hazardous chemicals are in the facility

● Where those chemical are stored in the facility
● The specific dangers of those chemicals
● How to identify chemical hazards in the facility
● How to protect themselves and others from being exposed to hazardous chemicals

Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

● An OSHA regulation designed to reduce the risk or disease transmission while of the job.
Your employer must provide an exposure control plan to help protect employees from
being exposed to desease-cousing bacteria and viruses, called bloodborne pathogens,
and instruct employees about what to do if an exposure occurs.

Scanning Challenges
● Monotony and FAtigue
○ Stay fully enganed in what you are seeing- do not let your attention drift
○ Change body position and posture periodically
○ Sit upright and slightly forward
○ Rotate stations
○ Search; dont watch
○ Request additional lifeguard coverage
○ Keep hydrated, cool off and get out of the sun when on break
○ Exercise during one of your breaks
● Distraction
○ Stay focused on patron surveillance
○ Do not daydream, have conversations with co-workers or patrons or watch
events outside of your area
○ Keep patron activities safe and orderly. Signal for an additional lifeguard or
supervisor if assistance is needed
● Blind spots
○ Adjust your location or body position or stand up
○ Search all potential blind spots: under the stand, at play features or any part of
the zone
● Glare From the Sun or Overhead Lighting
○ Use polarized sunglasses
○ Change body position- stand up and look around and through glare spots
○ Reposition your lifeguard station with permission of your supervisor
● Water Movement and Surface Distortion
○ Adjust your body position
○ Be aware of the normal appreaance of the bottom of the pool; knoe the
appearance of drains, colored tiles or painted depth markings
○ Search bottom carefully
● Murky Water
○ Adjust your lovation or body position
○ Stay alert for hight0 risk activities
○ Singal for additional assistance to get extra coverafe for the area
● Patron Loads
○ High parron Loads:
■ Stand up frequently
 ■ Signal for additional assistance to get extra coverage for your area
○ Low Patron Loads:
■ Change body position and posture frequently
■ Change to a ground-level dtation, if appropriate
● Hot Ait Temperature
○ Use fans to cool the surroundign ait in an indoor setting
○ Stay in the shade; ise umbrellas
○ Cool off by getting wet during your break
○ Rotate more frequently
○ Stay in cooler aread suring breakd
○ Stay hydreated by drinking plenty of water