Become a Red Cross Certified Lifeguard!
Pretest and Certification Requirements

Dear Lifeguarding Course Participant:

 

The purpose of the American Red Cross Lifeguarding course is to teach candidates the knowledge and skills needed to prevent and respond to aquatic emergencies.  The course content and skills practice prepare candidates to recognize and respond quickly and effectively to emergencies and prevent drownings and injuries.

 

Successful completion requires participation in all Lifeguarding skills practice. For a listing of these skills please refer to the attached Lifeguarding Skills sheet.

 

To enroll in the Lifeguarding course, you must be at least 15 years of age before the last scheduled class session and must be able to demonstrate the following PRECOURSE SKILLS:

 

  • Swim 300 yards continuously, using these strokes in the following order:

  • 100 yards of front crawl using rhythmic breathing and a stabilizing, propellant kick. (Rhythmic breathing can be performed either by breathing to the side or to the front).

  • 100 yards of breaststroke using a pull, breathe, kick and glide sequence.

  • 100 yards of either the front crawl or breaststroke.  The 100 yards may be a combination of front crawl and breaststroke.

  • Starting in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute, 40 seconds.

 

This precourse skills evaluation will occur on the first day of the Lifeguarding course.  Please bring a swimsuit and towel to all your class sessions.

 

The Lifeguarding Class Information Sheet will provide you with class details such as dates, times, location and registration steps for each training session. To be eligible to successfully complete your Lifeguard training requirements attendance for all class sessions is required.

 

Upon successful completion of the Lifeguarding course, each participant receives two American Red Cross Certificates-Lifeguarding/First Aid, which is valid for 3 years, and CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, which is valid for 1 year. Annual renewal of your American Red Cross CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer course is required for your Lifeguarding certification to remain current throughout the 3 year validity period.

 

 

 


 

Lifeguarding Skill Sheet

 

Rescue Skills

 

  • Slide-In Entry

  • Stride and Compact Jumps

  • Rescue Approach-Front Crawl or Breaststroke

  • Simple Assist

  • Extension Assist from the Deck

  • Reaching Assist with Equipment and Throwing Assist

  • Swimming Extension Rescue

  • Active and Passive Drowning Victim Rear Rescue

  • Two-Person Removal from the Water Using a Backboard

  • Passive Submerged Victim-Shallow Water

  • Multiple-Victim Rescue

  • Feet-First Surface Dive

  • Submerged Victim-Deep Water

  • Front and Read Head-Hold Escape

 

CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer Skills

 

  • Removing Gloves

  • Initial Assessment

  • Rescue Breathing-Adult, Child and Infant

  • Using a Bag-Valve-Mask Resuscitator-Two Rescuers

  • Conscious Choking-Adult, Child and Infant

  • Unconscious Choking-Adult, Child and Infant

  • CPR-Adult, Child and infant

  • Two-Rescuer CPR-Adult, Child and Infant

  • Using an AED-Adult and Child

  • AED/CPR Skills Scenario 1 or 2

  • AED/CPR Skills Scenarios 3 and 4

 

First Aid Skills

 

  • Secondary Assessment

  • Controlling External Bleeding

  • Applying a Sling and Binder

  • Applying an Anatomic Splint

  • Applying a Soft Splint

  • First Aid Scenario 1 or 2

  • First Aid Scenario 3 or 4

 

Caring for Head, Neck or Back Injury Skills

 

  • Manual In-Line Stabilization for a Head, Neck or Back Injury on Land-Lying Down, Sitting or Standing

  • Using a Backboard for a Standing Victim on Land

  • Head Splint Technique-Face-Up Victim, Shallow Water at or Near Surface

  • Head Splint Technique-Face-Down Victim, Shallow Water at or Near Surface

  • Head and Chin Support-Face-Up Victim, Shallow Water at or Near Surface

  • Head and Chin Support-Face-Down Victim, Shallow Water at or Near Surface

  • Head Splint Technique-Face-Up Victim, Deep Water at or Near Surface

  • Head Splint Technique-Face Down Victim, Deep Water at or Near Surface

  • Head and Chin Support-Face-Up Victim, Deep Water at or Near Surface

  • In-Line Stabilization for a Submerged Victim-Face-Up, Face-Down or on One Side in Deep Water

  • Using a Backboard in Shallow and Deep Water

 

Final Skill Scenarios

 

  • Final Skill Scenario 1- Active Drowning Victim

  • Final Skill Scenario 2- Submerged Passive Drowning Victim

  • Final Skill Scenario 3-Head, Neck or Back Injury