The primary purpose of the American Red Cross Lifeguarding course is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to: Prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies. As well as provide professional-level care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries and sudden illnesses until emergency medical services (EMS) professionals take over. Participants must attend all scheduled classes. Prior to course registration, participants must register and pass the Prerequisite Swimming Skills Evaluation.
Prerequisites
Participants must be able to successfully complete the Swimming Skills Evaluation consisting of the following:
- Swim-Tread-Swim Sequence
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- Swim 150 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both. Maintain position at the surface of the water for 2 minutes by treading water using only the legs. Swim a final 50 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both. (Swimming on the back or side is not permitted. Swim goggles are allowed.)
- Timed Event
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- Swim 20 yards before diving down to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the starting position by swimming on the back while maintaining both hands on the object. Must be completed in less than 1 minute and 40 seconds. (Swim goggles are not allowed.)
Certification Details
After successful completion of the Swimming Skills Evaluation, participants will register for the course and receive access to the online coursework. The online coursework contains approximately 7 hours of self-paced learning that is to be completed before the in-person sessions begin. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive an American Red Cross certificate in ‘Lifeguarding with CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers and First Aid’, valid for 2 years.
Get Involved
YMCA Lifeguards play an important role in keeping everyone safe at our facilities. With pools at all four of our locations plus Thurston Water Park located at the Massad Family YMCA, we have both seasonal and year-round lifeguarding positions available. If you are interested in becoming a part of our staff team, please visit our jobs page for a list of benefits and all open positions.
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