Lifeguards (Pool)

2 Conversations

UPDATE IN PROGRESS

The Lifeguards job is fraught with hazards and problems from keeping them self up to date with the latest techniques to finding ways of staying awake and starving off boredom. As a result it is not like the romanticized job people think it is.

Qualifications (UK)

The standard UK Qualification is the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ). This provides the candidate with all the knowledge to save lives within and around the pool. The qualification is examined by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS).

There Are four modules in the examination: Theory , Practical (dry) Practical (Wet) and First Aid The Lifeguard Candidate has to have at minimum 33 hours of logged training or 20 hours if he/she is renewing the qualification it brakes down thus:

  • Theory: Pool environment and Safety 5 hours (or 2 if renewing)


  • Practical (dry): Spinal Cord Injery Management theory (SCIM), Basic Diagnoses, Relevent Laws and Lifeguard theory , 11 (or 8) hours


  • Practical (Wet): Personal Skills and immediate response (situation Evaluation) 6 (4) Hours Team Skills 5 (3) Hours Spinal Cord Injury Management 6 (3) Hours


  • First Aid: what to do when things go wrong






  • The lifeguard has to pass as series of tests to prove that they know the skills as well as the training and have an acceptable level of fitness. The theory side states what the lifeguard's job is, their legal responsibilities and those of their employer. The First aid deals with cuts bruises CPR one man and 2 man operation spinal injures, hyper and hypo thermia and glycaemia (Diabetes). Fractures, apnoea choking burns electrocution Poisoning. Not to mention shock The four B's (Breathing Bleeding Brakes and Burns). The qualification last for two years.

    Qualifications (World)

    World wide there are many different qualifications Canada has The National Lifeguard Service and Norway has a similar scheme. Where ever you are the syllabus is fairly similar for the pool lifeguard so there are some important thing you will need to be able to do before applying for the course:

  • Be able to confidently swim 50 meters in 1 minuet on your front


  • Be able to dive to the deepest part of the pool and recover a brick or mannequin you will in most cases only be qualified to lifeguard to the depth you can do this first time in the exam.


  • It is desirable for you to have a basic knowledge of first aid and CPR though training will be given.

  • On The Job

    The Lifeguards job can be very stressful and difficult especially in some of the new free form pools as there are often physical limitations to the area that they can lifeguard. These pools also attract a lot more customers then the traditional 25 meter
    rectangular pool and it is imperative that there are not any blind spots (or as few as possible). As the lifeguard has to be alert all the time regular changes of post and a period of time away from the pool are necessary to keep lifeguards fresh and ready for action. There are several reasons for this.

    1. The pool side is hot and humid which induces sleep.

    2. after about an hour looking at the same surroundings the lifeguard will stop seeing things that he should be. This is similar to video blindness that security guards can suffer from after about 40 minuets, luckily it is simple to cure, simply move around the pool so you don't have the same perspective.

    3. The work is very tiring for newer lifeguards as they have to keep moving and tracking people using muscles and the visual centre of the brain much more then normal circumstances require.

    The lifeguards job is one of the jobs that requires them to keep up there levels of fitness and to keep up to date with techniques from SICM (spinal injury control management) to cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and in some places (Though not in pool or near water) Venchtular defriblaration. Which is the technical term for running round with a big battery connecting the terminals to the chest of the casualty, shouting CLEAR! and shocking the casualties heart (approximately equivalent to jumpstarting cars)

    Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

    I Do Not Pretend To Be An Expert On This But It Needs Mentioning

    Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the major risks to a lifeguard after an incident and will be perticuly strong if some one dies or is seriously injured.


    NO TWO PEOPLE WILL REACT THE SAME.

    The Emotions From an Incident May last days weeks or years PTSD also may make people tired, have nightmares, Loss of memory and some times physical effects; commonly headaches, Dizziness, shaking tension and aches.

    Share and Show Emotions and face Reality this is much harder then it sounds for a lot of people but it needs to be done to aid recovery. Further infomation on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

    The Priorities


    1. PRO-ACTIVE Stop an accident before it happens

    2. Keep up to date on techniques

    3. React to training when needed

    4. If you feel that the pool is unsafe don’t hesitate to make it safe. if that means arsking people to leave do so when your on duty it's you that will take flack if you don't act.

    5. If You Feel That The Pool needs better training or more Equipment tell the management

    Further Information

    If you have any questions please use the forum below and I will get back to you I can't guarantee that I will be able to answer you but I will do my best.

    smiley - hsif

    Bookmark on your Personal Space


    Entry

    A519527

    Infinite Improbability Drive

    Infinite Improbability Drive

    Read a random Edited Entry


    Disclaimer

    h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

    Write an Entry

    "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

    Write an entry
    Read more