Red Cross Courses
Keeping adults and children safe in and around the water is core to the mission of the Y. That’s why we are happy to partner with the American Red Cross to offer lifeguard training, CPR, and First Aid courses.
Lifeguarding is a fun and extremely rewarding job. As a guard, you’re an important and admired member of your community. You have the power to save a life and educate our youth on the importance of water safety.
Why become a lifeguard?
Lifeguards are an integral part of the aquatics community. As a guard, you’ll be a symbol of safety and good judgement. You’ll have the extensive knowledge, training, and confidence of knowing how to save a life. Our lifeguards are required to go through the standard American Red Cross training along with CPR, Basic First Aid training, and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) modules training. In addition, it’s a great way to build your resume—lifeguard experience tells future employers that you’re responsible, strong leadership skills, and the ability to work in an independent environment.
What are the duties of a lifeguard?
As a lifeguard, you’ll have a number of duties both in and out of the pool. The routine role of a lifeguard is to monitor activity in the water and educate swimmers of all ages on the importance of water safety. At the Y, we take great pride in educating our younger swimmers on water safety to ensure that they’re prepared and confident on our pool deck.
All guards will be trained in emergency procedures and must be able to execute them in case of emergency.
How old do you have to be?
You can legally obtain a lifeguard certification as young as 15 years old.
What are the requirements?
Lifeguards must be physically fit enough to get in and out of the pool quickly and rescue a drowning victim. To qualify for a lifeguard certification course, you must pass two prerequisite swimming evaluations.
Swim-Tread-Swim Sequence (No Rest):
After jumping into the pool, fully submerged, resurface and swim 150 yards continuously using front crawl, breaststroke, or a combination.
Tread water for 2 minutes using only your legs.
Swim an additional 50 yards using designated strokes.
Timed Event:
Swim 20 yards, retrieve a 10-pound object from 7-10 feet underwater. (No swim goggles!)
Swim back 20 yards on your back while holding the object with both hands.
Get out of the water without using a ladder or steps.
Time Limit: 1 minute, 40 seconds
Waterfront certifications will have additional prerequisite swimming skills.
What if you’re not a strong swimmer?
No problem! We offer a number of different pre-lifeguarding courses that will help you become a better swimmer. Once the course is over, you’ll have all the swim skills you’ll need to pass the lifeguarding pre-test.
What is the course like?
We offer a number of different course options at our branches. You can enroll in shorter classes spanning over a few weeks, or you can cram and finish the course in a week. We offer courses that fit every schedule. Depending on the course you choose, every class will different, but the skill you’ll learn will be the same. You’ll become CPR and First Aid certified while also learning a number of different life-saving water techniques. You’ll learn how to spot accidents before they happen and how to properly educate patrons on the importance of water safety.
Do these courses cover waterfront lifeguarding?
Waterfront lifeguarding can be added to any lifeguard class. All you have to do is ask!
What happens next?
Once you’ve completed the course and received your certifications, you’re ready to start working! Our branches are always looking to hire new guards. Chances are, you’ll be hired on the spot!