Kiddie Knowledge

Since lifeguards have the responsibility to guard their aquatic patrons’ lives, it’s very important to know how to interact with swimmers while on the job. Children especially can be both the most fun and simultaneously the most frustrating to watch over. As a guard who’s worked at summer swim clubs and summer camps, a large portion of my patron interaction has been with kids.

While they do provide you with a lot of entertainment opportunities with their Marco Polo and diving board games, they are also most prone to becoming victims of drowning incidents. Since not all kids take swim lessons, it’s essential for you to keep an observant eye on them. I remain especially vigilant when kids are around the three- to four-foot deep water mark, as they can go from being able to touch the bottom with their feet to swimming too far into the deep end, in a matter of mere seconds.

Children often tend to be the swimmers you end up blowing your whistle at the most. In my opinion, some of the most common rules broken by kids are the ones most likely to pose a safety hazard to them. From running on the pool deck (though they may insist they were only skipping) to diving in shallow water, you should stress to children the importance of these rules and their purpose.

If your pool has discipline polices, for example having kids sit out of the pool for a set amount of time, do not hesitate to utilize them. Keep in mind you are a lifeguard—not a baby-sitter—and you should never feel shy about stressing the importance of safety and keeping an eye on their own kids to parents and guardians.

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Learning and Lifeguarding

The Lifeguard Life

Want to enter the aquatic world Baywatch style? In order to get certified to become a Lifeguard, you must take and pass a Lifeguarding course through a recognized organization. Your best source to finding a class in your area is simply hitting the Internet and searching for associations like the Red Cross, YMCA, or local recreation centers.

Once you become a lifeguard, there are actually other certifications you can obtain to expand your aquatic resume and share your swimming knowledge with others—these certifications can often increase your pay scale and job responsibilities. For example, you can get your Water Safety Instructor (WSI) certification, which allows you to teach swim lessons of all levels to swimmers with a variety of skill levels through both group and private lessons.

LGI-The Gold Medal of Certification

One of the most beneficial and highest certifications you can achieve is for the Lifeguarding Instructor (LGI). This is a Red Cross program that permits you to teach a wide variety of water safety courses. From Lifeguarding to CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer to Basic Water Rescue courses, this certification covers a large scope of information, which will serve to make you even more valuable to your employer.

In order to be eligible to receive this certification, you must meet the fundamental prerequisites of being at least 17 years old, holding a Fundamentals of Instructor Training (FIT) Certificate issued within the past year, and successfully completing a precourse written exam. Once you complete the course and score at least an 80 percent on the final written exams, you’re all set as an official Lifeguarding Instructor for the next two calendar years.

Jillian Muth-The LGI Veteran

“Achieving my LGI certification was definitely a proud moment of my lifeguarding career and only helped to further my position in my part-time job as a guard while in college.”

Bowling Green State University senior Jillian Muth has been LGI certified since 2006. During the four years she’s held this certification, Muth has taught dozens of classes, ranging from CPR Challenge Recertification courses to Sports First Aid. Muth believes the fact that she does hold this LGI certificate is what really set her apart when she applied for the position of Aquatics Student Supervisor at the BGSU Recreation Center in 2008. Although she is currently employed in only a head lifeguarding job, Muth did end up getting the job of Student Supervisor, which she fulfilled last year.

Nicholas Schilling: The LGI Rookie

BGSU junior Nicholas Schilling is currently enrolled in and taking an LGI class, with the hopes of sharing his aquatic knowledge with others through one day teaching health and safety classes himself. Upon successfully completing the course and passing the subsequent final exams this May, Schilling plans on beginning his career as an LGI at the BGSU Recreation Center, following in Muth’s footsteps.

“I’m just truly looking forward to being an LGI because I had such a great experience as a lifeguard and throughout the certification and recertification classes I’ve taken.”

How do I become an LGI?

Both Muth and Schilling are prime examples of how receiving an LGI certification can put lifeguards ahead of other guards in the aquatic world. If you’re interested in obtaining this certification, you should first personally evaluate your goals and interests and thoroughly make sure you’re ready for the responsibly inherent in this position. Next, check out your local aquatic centers for a class near you!

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The Lifeguard Look

As is the case with many types of jobs, there is a standard attire for lifeguards. What you choose to wear to work can have a definite effect on your job performance, so it is important to put some thought into your appearance—even though it may be no shirt, no shoes, no problem.

Your primary clothing concern should be following your employee uniform policies if such rules exist. While I have worked at pools which did not require a uniform, wearing a bathing suit at work was always necessary. Since you can’t prepare for when an emergency situation may occur, you should always wear a suit (even if it’s under your clothes), just in case. Guarding barefoot or in sandals—as you can remove them quickly and easily—is typically appropriate.

Most of the aquatic environments I have lifeguarded for provided me with a uniform T-shirt to wear while guarding. As swimmers will look to you as a person in an authority position, it is essential to look the part and for all guards to have a similar appearance. Other uniform requirements may range from nametags to whistles, which I consider to be one of the most vital pieces of your outfit as whistles are simply the quickest and most effective way to get patrons’ attention.

Though your individual lifeguarding look will differ depending on your job’s level and location (for example, sunglasses if you’re outside), your appearance should always reflect professionalism. As the job title is “lifeguard,” always keep in mind you’re there to guard lives.

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The Lifeguard Community and Communication

Lifeguarding is simply a team effort. In an aquatics environment, it is very important to maintain proper communication with one’s co-workers. No matter what type of emergency a guard encounters on the job, having a working relationship with one’s fellow lifeguards can make a significant difference during a rescue situation.

For an active victim (a conscious drowning patron), the second responder can help the primary guard with everything from clearing the pool of other swimmers to aiding with the rescue; for example, if the drowning victim attempts to push the guard under the surface of the water in a panic during the save, the other lifeguard will be there to assist. With passive victims (an unconscious surface or submerged swimmer), a trained guard will be able help with getting the patron out of the water on a backboard, without causing further harm. During a potential spinal save—undoubtedly the most serious type of rescue—a fellow certified guard will be of inestimable value, as it takes more than one person to correctly backboard a swimmer with a possible head or neck injury, as the risk of intensifying a life or death health risk increases.

While lifeguarding does not mean you have to be best friends with those you work with, an amicable relationship allowing for appropriate communication is undoubtedly necessary. It is important to always make a concerted effort to get to know your fellow guards both on and off the pool deck, before an emergency situation occurs. It only makes a lifeguard’s job more enjoyable, and in turn makes that person more prepared, if a rescue does occur while on duty.

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