LIFEGUARD CERTIFICATION
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course prepares individuals who hold current lifeguard instructor and lifeguard certifications from other approved lifeguard training agencies to train the YMCA Lifeguard v6 course and YMCA Aquatic Safety Assistant v6. This course provides participants the background of the YMCA Lifeguard Program and the skills to train others in CPR Pro for the Professional Rescuer, Basic First Aid for the Community and Emergency Oxygen Administration.
Participants will also be trained to teach lifeguard students how to prevent, recognize, activate emergency action plans, make rescues, provide emergency care and complete reports. In addition, participants will be prepared to teach lifeguard candidates how to keep pool, lake, river, surf and water park environments safe.
Participants will gain knowledge on course administration procedures and experience teaching from an instructor guide. They will also learn and demonstrate evaluation and feedback guidelines to be able to successfully train Lifeguard and Aquatic Safety Assistants.
Approved lifeguard training agencies are American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Canadian Red Cross, International Lifeguard Training Program, Lifesaving Society Canada, National Aquatic Safety Company (NASCO), Ellis & Associates, Royal Lifesaving Society and Starfish Aquatics Institute. Lifeguard and lifeguard instructor certifications from any of these agencies will be accepted, though this course is specially designed to cross over students holding lifeguard and lifeguard instructor certifications from American Red Cross. Students must be 16 years of age by the last day of the scheduled class.
REQUIREMENTS
Phase 1
• Tread water for 2 minutes
• Swim 100 yards front crawl
Phase 2
• Swim 50 yards each of:
• Front crawl with the head up
• Sidestroke
• Breaststroke
• Breaststroke with the head up
• Elementary backstroke kick with hands on the chest/stomach
• Perform a feet first surface dive in 8 to 10 feet of water (or maximum depth of training facility), and then swim underwater for 15 feet.
Phase 3
• Start in the water at the shallow end of the pool.
• Sprint for a distance of approximately 60 feet and then perform an arm-over-arm surface dive in 8 to 10 feet of water (or maximum depth of training facility).
• Pick up an object (dive ring) from the bottom of the pool, surface and tread water for at least 1 minute using the legs only, and then replace the object back on the pool bottom where it was found.
• Surface and swim the remaining length to the end of the pool and hoist yourself out the water without using a ladder or other assistance.
• Immediately begin compressions on an adult manikin for 1 minute or 100 compressions; stand and listen to directions from the instructor.