Besides being good swimmers, candidates to become YMCA lifeguards should be caring, strong, and quick to respond, confident, fit and intelligent, with goo interpersonal skills. The lifeguarding certification course at the YMCA is designed to give participants the skills and knowledge needed to be lifeguards in one of our pools. The comprehensive course offers up-to-date information on how to guard, anticipate and prevent problems and to take action to help those in danger. It also covers safety and survival skills every swimmer needs to know, accident prevention, guarding techniques, emergency systems, rescue skills and first aid in aquatic environments.

 

To become a YMCA lifeguard, you must meet the following entrance requirements, complete the course as described, and fulfill all certification requirements. Medical clearance before participation may also be required.

 

To participate in the lifeguard training program, you must meet the following prerequisites:

• Be at least 16 years old of age by the last day of the scheduled course.  Parental consent is required for those under 18.
• Pass the following swim test:
  • Perform a long, shallow front dive, then swim 500 yards, including 100 yards each of sidestroke, front crawl, breast stroke, sidestroke kick with one arm forward, and inverted breaststroke kick with arms on the stomach
  • Tread water for at least 2 minutes with legs only
  • Surface-dive head-first and feet-first in 8 to 10 feet of water and swim underwater for 15 feet.   

Course Content

The lifeguard training course includes at least 29 hours of classroom and pool sessions, plus a 2-hour practical experience.

 

Lifeguard certification is conducted by a certified YMCA lifeguard instructor.

To be certified you must complete the course, score 80% or better on each section of a written or oral knowledge test, and correctly perform all skills in a practical skills test. Certification may also include your instructor's subjective judgment about the maturity, attitude, and classroom participation you demonstrated during the course.

 

• Remain alert, with no lapses in consciousness
• Sit for extended periods, including in an elevated chair
• Move to various locations, including in and around an elevated chair
• Communicate verbally, including projecting the voice across distances, and communicate swiftly and effectively with emergency personnel over telephone and in person.
• Hear noises and distress signals in an aquatic environment, including in water, understanding that significant background noise exists in aquatic environments.
• Observe all assigned  sections of the water area
• Perform all needed rescues and survival skills
• Think in the abstract, solve problems, make decisions, instruct, evaluate, supervise, and remember.
• Operate alone as a lifeguard, without other lifeguards for support.

Interested in working with us or want to know more?

Call or come in to the Y nearest you for more information today or check out our available jobs

 

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