Lifeguard Certification

This course is designed to provide participants the knowledge and skills necessary to be a lifeguard and professional rescuer. Participants will be certified in American Safety and Health Institute’s (ASHI) courses: CPR Pro (BLS) for the Professional Rescuer, Basic First Aid for the Community, and Emergency Oxygen Administration.

The course presents information on the skills and knowledge lifeguards need in the pool, lake, river, surf, and waterpark environments. The comprehensive course offers up-to-date information on how to lifeguard by anticipating and preventing problems before they occur and by taking action to help those in danger when necessary. The course covers safety skills, accident prevention, scanning, guarding techniques, emergency systems, rescue skills, first aid in aquatic environments, spinal injury management, open water dangers, legal responsibilities, pool maintenance basics, and information on how to get a job as a lifeguard.

Program Details

Age

Must be 15 years old by the last day of training. (Must be 16 years old to be eligible for employment with the YMCA of Central Florida.)
Course Dates

Registration varies by family center
Duration

30 hours total — dates and times vary
Instructor/Student Ratio

1:10
Prerequisite

Students must pass the Physical Skills Test prior to the course.

1. Continuous Swim:
• Swim 100 yards of front crawl
• Swim 100 yards of breaststroke
• Swim 50 yards each of:
– Front crawl with head up
– Breaststroke with head up
– Elementary backstroke with hands on chest

2. Tread Water:
• Tread water for two minutes without using arms

3. Combined Skill Event:
• Start in the water at one end of the pool
• Sprint 60 feet, perform an arm-over-arm surface dive in 7–10 ft. of water (or max depth of pool)
• Pick up an object from the bottom of the swim area and tread for at least one minute using legs only
• Swim the remaining length of the pool on your back holding the object with both hands
• Place object on the pool deck and hoist yourself out of the water without using a ladder or assistance
• Immediately begin compressions on an adult mannequin for one minute or 100 compressions

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