Jul 30

Facts about challenging career as a professional lifeguard

It is extremely challenging career as a professional lifeguard because there are many risks involved. Your own life can be at stake in really difficult times. Saving a life is not a child’s play. It has many complications and chances of danger are high.

Extensive training required

You will have to take tough training sessions to begin a challenging career as a professional lifeguard before finally entering the team. There are many aspects that need proper information and practical training. Not all situations are the same and working mode may vary a great deal in different situations. Training can be given by experts only .There are many organizations that offer these services. They make you learn lots of things especially risk management while you are on duty.

Physical strength and energy to do the job

The basis requirement is that you should be strong and energetic to carry out the hectic job of saving life at the shore. A weak body will never be able to do the task properly. Working hours are longer and there is usually no respite in duty timings. You have to work continually for several consecutive hours. Sometimes, there are many people calling out for help at the same time. That’s why is it challenging career as a professional lifeguard.

Strict hiring standards

Because, it is a really tough job, criteria for enrollment are really rigid. You should get intense training and pass it. Your health and body should also be stronger beyond normal individuals because you have to do tough physical activity like running, swimming and so on.

Mental alertness is a must

It’s not necessary that good swimmers become great lifeguards. It’s something beyond that. You should be mentally alert all the time by keeping eyes and ears open all the time. As soon as the victim screams out for help, you should take action immediately and jump into the water with life saver. When, there are many victims calling for help, you should quickly decide which one to approach and how to do the job. Every minute is important in case of emergency and a little negligence can go a long way. Therefore it is extremely challenging career as a professional lifeguard. It is not bed of roses and tougher than it seems.

Standing under the sun

There is no option for you except standing under direct sun all day and waiting for call from a drowning victim. You will sweat heavily all day and it can be irritating for you. But you have to bear it and maintain your efficiency. Because, it is challenging career as a professional lifeguard, you have to think well before choosing it. If you are adventurous and agile, it’s undoubtedly an excellent career for you, which is rewarding in sense of monetary gains as well as appreciation from victim and satisfaction after saving life of others. You need to stay focused and unaffected by charms of beach around. There are people who spend time on seashore just to enjoy the time with friends or others, you may also have the urge to have some recreation, but sorry you won’t be allowed to do so. Keep your inner desires in control because you are on duty. Don’t worry; you can have fun in off-hours, weekends or holidays.

So, if you are ready to begin a highly challenging career as a professional lifeguard, doors are open. Join the most reputed organization or institute for getting training and complete information.

Jun 06

Basic knowledge about Lifeguard Training

Those who are planning to become lifeguards and wondering what a lifeguard training would be like must read this article to learn the basics about the training. As you may already be aware, the basic motive of the lifeguard training is to educate the lifeguards-to-be to know what their duties and responsibilities will be, how they should deal with them and how to save the lives of people who bank on them.

During the training period, the future lifeguards are prepared to handle all kinds of situations that they could experience during their job as a lifeguard. It is important for the lifeguards to possess extraordinary swimming skills. Apart from this, they must also know how to provide first aid to people, and CPR before they actually step into the field. Lifeguard certification programs aim at providing education on the provision of safety and protection to everyone who goes to beaches and oceans for swimming.

The main focus of these lifeguard trainings is on the swimming competence of the future lifeguards. Obviously, the most basic requirement of being a good lifeguard is being a great swimmer, who is aware of all the techniques of fighting the waves – because it is the most challenging of all tasks that a lifeguard needs to deal with.

People are drowned because there is a…

Failure to adapt and cope with the situations

Absence of education

Absence of protection

Lack of safety advice

Insufficient supervision

The responsibility of reducing these factors that lead to drowning and deaths of millions of swimmers across the globe every year is on the shoulders of lifeguards. They need to make sure that the beachgoers are closely supervised, properly educated on the basic safety tips, provided protection to deal with hazards, are given safety advice, and know how to cope with risks and dangers in the water.

Lifeguards must be motivated to eliminate these factors that lead to drowning and deaths at beaches and oceans.

Lifeguard training aims at teaching lifeguards all these skills so that people who come to swim can enjoy trouble-free time. In the marine environments, lifeguards are the first ones to make medical arrangements in the time of emergencies, that is why it is beneficial for them to get proper training for their job.

If you want to serve as a life savior of people at beaches, oceans and pools, then you must make proper moves to get lifeguard certification for the purpose. There are certain requirements that you need to fulfill in order to opt for lifeguard training. These include:

Age limitation

Physical fitness – you need to furnish a physical certificate from your doctor as an evidence for the fact that you are physically fit to opt for becoming a lifeguard

Obviously, you need to know the basic swimming skills prior to joining the training, because at training they will teach you special skills and abilities to deal with ocean hazards.

We wish you all the best with your aim to become the life savior of beachgoers and people swimming in pools, lakes, rivers and elsewhere!

Jun 03

Lifeguard Training – All You Ever Wanted to Know

Lifeguard – a life savior – needs to undergo some heavy training before becoming a practicing lifeguard. This is so because he is entrusted with the responsibility of saving the lives of millions of people who come to pools, oceans and beaches. It is therefore essential for the lifeguards to go through rigorous training so that during their training period they can prepare themselves to fulfill their future duties in a proper way. In most cases, it is observed that people who like to become lifeguards have already taken some sort of basic training that includes swimming, first aid, CPR and so on. However, proper lifeguard training is a must if you want to become a lifeguard.

Special emphasis is put on the ability and skills of swimming because after all that is the most challenging part of the job. Anyone who knows swimming cannot become a lifeguard. One has to go through proper training and attain lifeguard certification to be able to become a professional lifeguard.

So, during the period of training, the lifeguards are not only trained to improve and polish their first aid responses and CPR skills, but at the same time, they are also taught rescue skills and protocol that includes the drowning chain.

In order to easily remember the drowning chain, you can try to remember the acronym that most people use to remember it – ILLL

The acronym stands for:

Inability to cope – Not all the swimmers that come for swimming to the beach are experienced. Most of them have very little experience of swimming in oceans and seas. For this reason, there are chances that they would become victim to aquatic dangers such as rip currents and drowning. When an inexperienced beachgoer will face an aquatic danger, he would obviously panic and lose his ability to think. This will further lead to his inability to cope with the prevailing danger.

Lack of education – Those people who are inexperienced are the ones who are the most at risk. The reason is simple – their lack of education to deal with the unpleasant or hazardous situations that may occur when they are swimming. They are unable to figure out the kinds of dangers they could experience when swimming in the ocean or doing any activity in the water, like water surfing. Therefore, they end up putting their lives in danger.

Lack of protection – Most mishaps that occur are due to the lack of protection. Lack of protection means the lack of proper swim attire and flotation devices that protect swimmers from expected ocean hazards.

Lack of safety advice – When there is a lack of safety advice, then the lives of the inexperienced beachgoers is at risk. Thus, the presence of lifeguards is always very important. It is the duty of the lifeguard to keep a watch on the people at the beach and to make them aware of the dangers and risks. They are even responsible to convey them where safe spots are located, so that peoples’ lives are free of risks.

Lack of supervision – in most cases, it is seen that people tend to overestimate their ability to swim. As a result of this, they would swim without supervision and put themselves in danger. Thus, supervision is necessary!

Lifeguard training is important so that the future lifeguards must know what their responsibilities are and how those responsibilities should be fulfilled. This will ensure the safety of those who go to beaches, oceans and pools for swimming.

Jun 03

How to Obtain Lifeguard Certification?

So, are you looking to become a certified lifeguard? If yes, you have just landed on the right article. There are a number of ways in which you can obtain lifeguard certification and serve as a certified lifeguard. In this terse article, we will discuss how you can achieve your goal. So, let’s begin the show!

The first way to attain lifeguard certification is by applying for a lifeguard position at a lifesaving agency and then receiving your lifeguard training there from that agency. However, there is another way too. You can become a certified lifeguard by enrolling yourself in a private lifeguard course. Becoming a certified lifeguard would allow you to work as an independent contractor and sell your services to private parties. Depending on the requirements of your employer, you can either work as a one-time lifeguard or permanently deliver your services to your employer. This is completely different from working as a certified lifeguard in an agency.

So, by working as an independent or private contractor, you become your own boss. It is similar to serving as a freelance lifeguard. However, like everything else in the world, working as an independent lifeguard has its own pros and cons.

If you have not received training from any good lifeguard agency, then you must consider enrolling yourself for a lifeguard training course now. Make sure that you choose the best place to get your training done from and your training certification much include CPR and first aid certification, which is deemed necessary for good lifeguards.

In case, you are planning to become an independent lifeguard, then you must also have your own personal equipment. On the other hand, if you choose to work as a regular employed lifeguard, then your lifeguard agency will supply you the required lifeguard equipment. So, as an independent or private lifeguard, you must purchase and maintain all the equipment on your own. The kind and quantity of equipment that you must purchase depend on the type of assignments you undertake as a lifeguard. Let’s say, you are expected to be hired for private pool jobs, then the typical set of equipment that you would require will include the following:

Uniform – which should ideally be a red swimsuit and a shirt labeled as lifeguard

A whistle

A lifeguard buoy

First aid kit

Personal gear – such as hat, sunscreen and so on

Let’s imagine that you are hired as a lifeguard for a private beach, then it that case, you must have a different set of equipment, which may include:

Uniform

Wetsuit

Buoy

Fins

Binoculars

Speaking of the major pros of becoming a certified lifesaver and an independent lifeguard is that you are paid really well. Your pay could amount from $20-100/hour.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the training program today and become a lifesaver – a lifeguard certification is all that you need to achieve your goal. We wish you all the best with your lifeguard training and career!

Jun 03

The Requirements to Start Lifeguard Training – A Brief Guide

One of the best and the most popular jobs that teenagers like to get into are lifeguard positions on pools, beaches, or gyms. Most people think that it may be a difficult thing to get into, but frankly speaking it is not as hard as it seems. It follows a simple process. All lifeguards need to go through standard lifeguard training programs, which are typically offered by local agencies or large pools. You can even find such training programs being offered on some of the most popular beaches.

Once you make up your mind to undergo lifeguard training, you would require passing a couple of tests to be approved by pools before they hire you for the lifeguard job. These tests determine your level of ability to become a good lifeguard. What is the job of a lifeguard? The answer is simple – to save lives. It is a sacred profession, like a doctor or a nurse – because they are trained to be life saviors. Therefore, it is important that if you want to be hired as a lifeguard, you must be able to handle your job well. You would have to protect children, the young and the old, who swim at lakes, oceans, seas and pools. Are you ready for this? In order to find an answer to this question, read on.

Following are some of the basic requirements that you need to pass in order to go through lifeguard training and receive lifeguard certification to serve the humanity:

The first and the most important requirement is your eligibility of age. You need to be at least 15 years of age. In case, you are working at a wave-heavy beach or a well established resort, then you should not be younger than 18 years at least. In very rare case, a lifeguard has to be 21.

The next thing to be done is to get a certificate from your doctor, approving that you are physically fit for the job of a lifeguard. This is an important requirement because unless and until you are not physically and medically fit for the job, you cannot become a fine lifeguard. And this has to be done every year so that your physical fitness is assured.

Thirdly, you need to be able to be a good swimmer – obviously! Swimming the length of the pool is not enough, you would also need to be in proper form and have a good leg kick. You also need to develop stable breathing inside water. When you are swimming in pools or in the ocean, you would have to swim two to four laps continuously. Thus, you really need to be trained for this. Here comes the most important point of the article – you need to be a trained lifeguard if you want to take this up as a profession. For this, you have to undergo a lifeguard training.

The training helps you become a better swimmer and understand the duties and responsibilities of a lifeguard properly, because after all it is not just about being a better swimmer. There are loads of things that you should learn to do if you want to be a good lifeguard. The lifeguard training teaches you essential skills like carrying a weight of at least 40 pounds while you are in the water and walking the length of pool. This training is given so that you are able to save the lives of those swimmers who are bigger than you and are in trouble.

We wish you all the best in your quest of becoming a good lifeguard!

Jun 02

Skills You Learn in Lifeguard Certification Course

When you are going for lifeguard certification courses, you’ll be taught several sub-courses. Each of them makes you learn a particular set of skills that are important for your job. You’ll be trained enough to become a competent worker who can face challenges easily and takes prompt action during an emergency. In lifeguard certification courses, the skills mostly taught are personal survival, rescue, surveillance, safety and much more. By the end of classes you will learn all those skills.

Personal survival and safety

In lifeguard certification courses, you are given complete information about how to keep people safe in a pool, river, beach or any body of water. You also learn how to act in a prolonged emergency situation and save the victim. Remaining peaceful and clam in that difficult time is also a part of the course. Breathing techniques for people who are stranded in water; strokes used to make his body warm and energetic are also included in lifeguard training certification. In order to do this task efficiently, you must have thorough information about floating and swimming ways that can help you approach a place where you are safe and sound without getting exhausted.

Surveillance

Trainees are also taught to identify those people whose life are at risk at the beach. Because in summer, all beaches are loaded with crowds and millions of people chilling out in water as well as on the sea shore. In that situation it becomes even more challenging to know the difference between screaming, shouting, and playing from people in trouble. In lifeguard certification you are trained to detect accurately people who are at risk and are asking for help. That is the right job for you.

In summer, there is scorching heat and beaches are full of swimmers, surfers and those, who bask under the sun. You are likely to feel hot and sweaty at that time because you stay in sunlight continually at different points. Feelings of thirst and boredom are also natural. It is lifeguard certification that teaches you ways and methods to help resist such feelings and overcome them efficiently. It also trains them to be focused about their duty among many distracting things around. Strolling in the area, swapping stations with co-workers and interacting with them can be refreshing and motivational for you.

Rescue

Another important skill in lifeguard certification is to learn how to rescue victims in an appropriate manner, without causing any damage to their health. You learn how to remove people from dangerous situations and how to bring them to a safer point. You will be trained to act on these steps:

Emergency plan

You will be taught in lifeguard certification about how to activate a plan.  Beach patrols have their own strategies that are implemented when required. To perform rescue operation, lifeguards must declare an emergency.

Entering water

In lifeguard certification you learn how to dive in water. You can simply walk if it’s a shallow area or swim quickly to reach to the victim. Lifeguards always enter the water with their safety can in tow.

Approaching to the victim

The next step is to go close to the victim and stabilize him and proceed to remove him out of the water. Then continue to move him into a flat and safe dry place immediately. Provide emergency care and first aid to him as quickly as possible.

These are the skills you learn in lifeguard certification courses.

May 29

A Brief about Lifeguards Training and Responsibilities

Lifeguard training and lifeguard certification courses basically train people to rescue victims and casualties from the waters; these could be at sea, in a lake, in a water park, at the beach, or at a swimming pool. Lifeguards ensure safety of the swimmers, surfers and other people who wade into the water and participate in different water sports.

They are trained to rescue people who get caught up in water. Lifeguard certification courses teach a rescue strategy that includes the use of special techniques and equipment during times of emergency. Lifeguards are also very strong swimmers and that supports their main responsibility which is rescuing those who get into trouble. Besides their main task, lifeguards are also trained to give first aid to casualties and at times they are also required to provide moral support to those in pain and distress.

The lifeguard’s primary duty is to supervise a certain area, to be able to carry out their duties adequately they need to have visibility of the vicinity. They mostly locate themselves on an elevated platform which is either a chair or at times the roof of a vehicle; this allows them to keep an unobstructed eye on swimmers. Lifeguard training includes handling of the rescue equipment and communication devices. The rescue equipment includes first aid kits, rescue boards, life vests, spine and head immobilizers; and communication devices include the use of wireless phones or other handsets.

Lifeguards are taught how to use these devices during lifeguard certification courses. Lifeguards can ask for support and declare emergency via their handsets. They also receive instructions from senior team members during a typical rescue scenario; and get to know if their team member in a nearby vicinity requires help. The elevated chairs that they use often has room for rescue and communication equipment as well, the chairs are mobile and the lifeguard can shift them as needs be. The location of the chair mostly depends on the level of the tide, the weather conditions, and the population at the beach.

During lifeguard training, the trainees are instructed to keep a rescue buoy and a whistle with them all the time. The whistle is used to attract attention in a state of an emergency; they can divert the crowd’s attention to themselves and can then give directions so that their job of rescuing many people at the same time and taking them to safety becomes easier.

The rescue buoy acts as their mark of identity; it is a float-able tube that can help support the weight of the victim in the water. It has a long leash attached to it which the lifeguard wears around his body to tow while swimming a long distance. The buoys come in many colors but the ones used by lifeguards have the words “rescue buoy” printed on them and are mostly red or bright yellow.

Lifeguards host up flags that are red and yellow in color, these mark the areas that are under their supervision. Many people prefer to keep within the vicinity so that in case of an emergency they can be helped, plus it makes them feel safe and secure.

Lifeguard training followed by lifeguard certification authorizes people to work as a part of the emergency team. They are trained to ensure their safety first whilst rescuing the victims. A lifeguards serve humanity and therefore it a noble profession.

May 18

Come for Lifeguard Training and Learn Survival Skills

Lifeguard training and lifeguard certification courses include sub courses that teach a certain set of skills. Trainees learn these skills and become competent enough to take action during the time of an emergency.

The following are a set of skills that are taught during Lifeguard training programs and Lifeguard certification courses:

1. Personal Safety and Survival Skills

One needs to know how to stay safe in water and what to do during a prolonged situation of an emergency. For instance a person should know how to keep calm during the tough time. How to breadth if he is stranded in the water, and what strokes to use so that he conserves body heat and energy. He needs to know the right floating and swimming skills that would enable him to reach a point of safety without exhausting all his energy.

2. Surveillance Skills

During the lifeguard training and lifeguard certification course people are taught to recognize those in trouble at the beach. The beaches during the summer seasons are crowded, there are millions of people in the water and on the shore. It becomes challenging for lifeguards to distinguish between people who scream, shout, shake and wave out of enthusiasm and excitement, and those who do the same out of desperation. Surveillance skills teach lifeguards how to detect when a person is in trouble and he is calling for help.

During the summer time the heat is intense, the beaches are jammed packed with surfers, swimmer, and sunbather. Lifeguards tend to feel hot and sweaty and because they are continuously stationed at a certain position, they also feel bored and thirsty. The lifeguard training and lifeguard certification courses teach people how to resist and overcome those feelings, and how to concentrate on their duties despite all the distractions. Techniques like going on foot for a short survey and swapping stations with a co-worker refreshes the person on duty and keeps him motivated.

3. Rescue Skills

A lifeguard should know how to rescue people i.e. how to get them out of the life threatening traps and how to bring them to safety, to do that the lifeguards should follow the mentioned steps.

  • Activate Emergency Plan

Every beach patrol has a strategy that it implements in times of needs, a lifeguard should declare an emergency so that he can get the help he requires to carry out the rescue operation.

  • Enter the Water

A lifeguard should know how he’d enter the water, whether he would swim in straight, dive or simply walk in. There are different ways in which one can get into the water, it varies from situation to situation.

  • Approach the Victim

A lifeguard needs to come close to the victim so that he can help him out.

  • Rescue the Victim

The lifeguard needs to take the victim out of the disastrous situation he’s stuck in.

  • Move the Victim to Safety

He also needs to move the victim to safety.

  • Remove the Victim from Water

If a person stays in the water for a prolonged time period he tends to feel agitated, therefore, it is the foremost priority of the lifeguards to get the victims to land even if it means seeking comfort for the time being on a small creek or an inland that is surrounded by water. It is best to get the victim straight to land but if that is not possible it is in the best interest of the victim and of those who comes to his rescue to seek refuge on a piece of land which is the most accessible.

  • Provide Emergency Care to the Victim

A victim who is rescued could need medical attention, many times people feel emotionally distressed and they need someone to pacify them. Lifeguards are trained to provide first aid to the injured and to give them moral support so that victims are able to regain their strength and energy as quickly as possible.

Lifeguard training and lifeguard certification is a part of an emergency training program that comes in handy not only at the beach or near the water but in any situation of an emergency.

May 11

Lifeguard Training: A Game of Actions Not Words!!

An adequate level of training is must for any lifeguard for rescuing and saving victims. Not only he must be certified but also trained for both water and life saving programs to reduce the number of drowning people. The lifeguard training calls for certain physical and behavioral requirements for an individual before getting him registered while the certification may demand prerequisite knowledge and expertise through classroom and online courses. The purpose is to train, educate and test his abilities to withstand extreme emergency situations.  This training is not age limited and any individual who understands the responsibility and able to complete the certification elements can come up for it.

Saving anyone’s life can be a challenging and daunting task and such responsibility can put your life at risk too. Good physical and mental condition is another essential for a person to complete the training and getting certification successfully. His breathing problems, inadequate weight lifting abilities and bad medical conditions can become an obstacle in his way. The individual must have not the water or swimming fear and his swimming potential will be judged on the basis or certification and training he is opting for becoming a lifeguard. The deep water rescue requires greater deal of physical and swimming skills than the shallow water rescue. He is therefore trained to deal with all the water conditions good or bad and able to make effective use of lifeguard equipment and accessories.

The initial knowledge of lifesaving methods and first aid is also required for ensuring effective training. Commonly taught procedures are CPR cardie-pulmonary resuscitation and AED, or automated external defibrillator. They are guided with every aspect to access the medical condition of victim and provide first aid for avoiding the risks of acute injuries and bleeding. The lifeguard certification is not an easy game and only qualified individuals are put to the risk of saving lives in dangerous conditions. It can have various levels and courses through which the individual abilities are polished and trained for deep and shallow water rescuing.

You can find a number of surfing clubs, training institutes and lifeguard academies on both local and state level for getting your lifeguard certification. You qualification should be correct and current before going for any job position. You can make the right choice by considering their courses, fee, timing, requirements and certificate they offer. The participants of lifeguard training are given aquatic emergency tasks though videos, discussions and hands on practical work for making them able to learn the team work surveillance and rescue abilities. Both online and classroom sessions and materials are also provided for giving in depth knowledge.

The persons going for lifeguard training are required for complete medical examination and performance tests both conditional and non conditional before rewarding them the certificate. In addition to passing both written and practical tests, the person must demonstrate maturity and responsibility throughout the classes and team work. The lifeguard job can be both easier and difficult offering you high remuneration packages but great level of stress too.

May 04

Lifeguard Certification: Right Way to Beat the Challenges!!

If you have the desire to serve the public at your best, go for becoming a lifeguard. You physical fitness and positive attitude will guide your efforts towards the type and level of lifeguard certification from respective institutes. You have seen many people on water places as beaches and pools who step forward in every situation to ensure the safety of swimmers and surfers lives. These expert personals are called lifeguards who get training and certification in field of swimming and water rescuing. Their responsibilities may extend to other areas as mountain climbing, deep water diving, fire and emergency situations. You age, physical strength, swimming and life saving ability is considered for ensuring that you are able to take the responsibility of saving lives and serving public.

You can get the lifeguard training from both online and local institutes by signing up through email or phone call after knowing the cost and requirements. You can ask the pool managers and administrative persons about the quality lifeguard training options. The supervisors and beach administration can share their experience and training aspects with you. The courses and training may vary from basic to advanced level and the right choice can be a challenging task. . The best course choices are the first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation course (CPR), and automated external defibrillation (AED) programs. Each facility may have their own criterion and requirement when it comes to your skills and knowledge. The basic swimming skills are essential prerequisite for registration with any institute.

This certification focuses on incorporating the safety and rescue skills for aquatic survival through effective knowledge and training. The individual is provided the necessary ability to recognize and scan the signs of trouble and perform his responsibilities through proper plan of action. Public interaction is another important area of importance among the lifeguard which involves professional and courteous behavior while dealing with different people from different cultures and groups. They are equipped with the latest first aid training for handling the broken bones and bleeding injuries. The lifeguards are also trained to make effective use of lifeguard apparels, equipments and accessories for performing their job well. The equipment use will depend on the type of conditions and commonly include the oxygen tanks, rescue bags and tubes, spinal boards and cans.

Their physical and skill performance is judged through different levels of written and practical tests to demonstrate their accuracy and concept learning. The conditional and non conditional surfing tests are also taken before giving you the desired documents of the certification. The final program certificate must be considered before joining any institute for training. Your professional and courteous behavior and team management skills will bring your forward for getting the respectful position. The lifeguard career can be definite success only with continuous practice and training with updated surveillance and rescue systems. You can supplement your income by getting a lifeguard job at any beach or pool as a part or full time option.

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