Hi, I am in Ontario and I am going for my bronze medallion course starting tomorrow through Thursday. I just wanted to ask what day one will look like. I went to the pool today and practiced and only got 2 laps without stopping. I am just worried they will do the 400m practice test tomorrow and I can’t do it. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks 😊
Any advice is greatly appreciated, like how I could train to pass the training, what they have you do in the training, and any other advice!
I just wanted to know if you get spinal board training in bronze cross (a canadian assistant lifeguard training course) or would that be covered in nl instead- i know for sure in nl, but i'm unsure about in cross. Any lifeguards in canada please, I'd like to know.
Also- is bronze cross very different and harder than medallion? I hear from people who've taken it that it's way harder?
My family was at a large public pool in Virginia today, and the temperature was peaking just above 100 F. A bit after midday, the lifeguards announced that everyone had to get out of the main pool for 15 minutes due to a safety break from the heat.
Was this genuinely for the guests, or was it a safety break for the lifeguards, and they thought it would go over better if they said it was for the guests? They told people to stay hydrated, but still, it seems like people would be safer from the heat IN the pool. And it was a big pool with lots of families. If the lifeguards needed a chance to cool off, hydrate, and rotate positions, that's fine by me.
I have a few more questions... sorry...
Is it awkward when you are checking for breathing? Like I hate being victim, or the lifeguard cause it is just awkward.
I always forget to put on gloves and do the 1st and secondary checks, how do I fix that??
How can I improve my victim skills I always suck? I do not want to screw anything up for my friends when it actually matters.
When we are have to take an unconscious victim out of the water and I put my hands under there arms, where do I put my hands? Do I hold there ears or chin?
Any advice on how to remember all the book stuff, I ordered a book for FIFTY BUCKS and they are not gonna come in before our test so I can not study
That's all, Thanks for all the help. SORRY IF I AM CONFUSING I AM JUST REALLY STRESSING OVER THESE EXAMS
The employer doesnt care which is which. But for legal liability, is this considered as "unqualified"? Could settlement be done for innadequate safety measures? Ontario law only states for a certified lifeguard to be present, not specifying which certification. So if I only havr NL pool, I should be good to guard a waterfront, right?
Context, I really dislike my lifeguard job, I don’t get along with coworkers and hate the training/vats, I’m good at my job and it pays well so that’s really the only reason I’m still here but sometimes I think I’d be happier at chipotle or something.
Hey guys not sure if this is the right sub to even post this in but I just went through a drowning event and I need a clarification so that I can stop thinking about this,
I'm on vacation right now abroad and I was trained to be a lifeguard at a regular pool back in the USA and I'm at the beach. It was about 9 pm and I was on a beach walk with my lil cousin and I heard screaming out in the water. So there was one guy watching from the beach and I figured they were having fun and then I realized that the guy in the water maybe 15-20m off shore was screaming for help and there was a guy face down drowning next to him. So I told the guy I can try and help because I'm a lifeguard in USA and he understood broken English but anyways I jumped in and more people started coming and one threw me like a boogie board I think they're called and so I swam out to the guy already face down because I figured oh the other guy had more survival chance, but I think this is where I fucked up bad here because I got to the guy put the board on top flipped him and kept airway elevated but he was foaming at the mouth and I was hitting his chest and shouting while trying to swim back but the current kept pulling me further so I tried to leave him and look for the other guy but I couldn't find the other one and at that point I realized I was going too far and had to save myself from drowning as well and paramedics/emergency was called but nobody came until like 30 mins later.
I'm pretty petrified so if anyone could offer some advice I'd appreciate it.
I heard there is a shortage of lifeguards in Vancouver, but I see no job openings on the city's website... Does completing Bronze Cross and Medallion, First Aid, and National Lifeguard courses guarantee you a job because of the shortage, or are they picky about who they select to be guards?
Also, can I take NL before completing Bronze Medallion and Cross? I heard they are pre-reqs for NL, but not sure how that works. Can Vancouver/lower mainland guards advise, please?
How are the hours and pay? Is it work getting recert every 2 years?
well i feel like maybe its just my skin being stupid but shortly its most definitely a very bad heat rash, the issue is that its kinda way worse than the other one time i had it and on the top of my foot exactly where i would wear slippers, to be fair its a bit better now that its a bit less hot, but i keep irritating it with any shoes i wear and chlorine makes me skin so dry it makes me limp after water dries if im not carrying aloe or smth like that on me. I work at an outdoors swimming pool so I just started going around barefoot but it doesnt help with chlorine and sun obviously plus i need to wear shoes to go to work
most of the time i can sit in shadows but theres like 2 pools where i need to be moving quite a bit, so yay twice a day sun exposure, two where its very dependant on where is the sun (i cannot see anything from where i technically should sit due to sun late in the day) so yay once a day sun exposure (plus i often end up standing a bit in water because its easiest to see there) and one where we have to jump in for someone daily (litteraly at least one action per day average there so far to the point we basically compete who can jump the most times, i think last summer they had 200 actions in that one pool so its a lot) we all just sit on the barriers which ends up with water splashing me a lot which than dries my skin insanely. (i could sit like a normal person but than when i try to jump i get caught on the barrier and look stupid, tested it today and never again so chlorine it is)
i am out of ideas atp what can i do? I cant be the only one to develop a rash like that
Has anybody done the STA pool lifeguard course and been able to find work?
I cannot do the RLSS NPLQ10 course because I am short sighted and the RLSS prohibits the use of prescription goggles.
I wondered if the STA pool lifeguard qualification is a commonly accepted alternative.
So I did the four days of 9 hour classes and paid the 240 dollars. I learned a lot of rescues and saves. On test day I passed the brick test flawlessly. The thing about my class is that I was the only one who wasn’t already a lifeguard. Everyone else was getting recertified. It always made me look stupid. I was doing the passive submerge test and I did all the other steps right. Compact jump. Swim over. Lose tube. Go under. Pull victim up while turning him up. Swim to the board etc. but after I did everything my instructor told me I angled the victim a little too high swam him up. I was then told to pack up and head home. My main question is will the victim die if he’s angled slightly upward?
my pool and about 16 others in the area are managed by a certain company. my sister and i work for different management companies. she was talking about being audited at her pool, and i asked what that was. she was really surprised to hear that my company doesn’t do audits on their guards. is this normal?
I just got a lifeguarding job a couple of weeks ago, at the beginning of the summer. I work 10 hour shifts and I really enjoy it, especially on slow days. I’ve worked 90+ hours so far and I feel like I have the hang of it. I’ve technically passed my audits, though on my second audit I took much too long to spot the shadow in the pool. Almost three minutes, since it was in my blind spot. But now I know to check there more thoroughly and we are having an inservice soon.
I’m just scared as hell for the fourth of July. We will most likely reach capacity considering I’m in a southern state so it’s going to be very hot and it’s a Saturday, and I’m afraid to guard a busy pool. I’ve guarded when it’s somewhat busy before, but not compared to how the fourth is going to be. I’ve guarded maybe 40 people at one time. Everything in me just wants to quit and I can’t shake this feeling that someone is going to die under my watch and the rest of my life will be ruined. The pressure feels so intense, and all my coworkers just act like it’s going to be inconvenient. When to me it feels like the end of the world…not just because it’s going to be harder than a normal day but I feel like it’s also exponentially more dangerous. It doesn’t help that I had my first save on my first day. Luckily I haven’t had to jump in since then but I’ve been extremely anxious guarding the area it happened since. And that’s where most of our saves occur.
How do I get over this and just focus on doing my job well? I also want to be an EMT, and I want to be able to perform well under pressure. Though at least with an EMT job you know you will be performing life saving care, whereas being a lifeguard feels like just waiting for something terrible to happen while everyone is just having fun. It’s like constant dread which is one of the worst feelings in the world.
Hi everyone! I have a few questions and was hoping some lifeguards could help me out with.
I'd really appreciate any advice or tips from lifeguards. Thanks in advance!
Does the American Red Cross offer swim instructor certifications? I can’t find one at all. If so what’s it called?