Lifeguard Class Long Island

Attending a lifeguard class on Long Island in Nassau County or Suffolk County is one of the first major steps you’ll undertake on your journey towards becoming a fully certified lifeguard.

Why take a lifeguard class? Well, there’s a couple of pretty great reasons to consider giving it a shot. For starters, lifeguards often get to reap the benefits of being a lifeguard: normally a free gym or pool membership in whichever institution they choose to work for. They also don’t have to deal with unsociable working hours. Very few pools are open exceptionally early in the morning or particularly late at night.

Lifeguards are generally paid better than waiters working under the same roof. The age requirement is also pretty lenient too, meaning younger adults who’d struggle to get work elsewhere have this is a solid option. The American Aquatics and Safety Training lifeguard training standards alone list the minimum age for class attendees as “over 15.”

Looking for a Lifeguard class in New York? Look no further than Lifeguard Training HQ.

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Taking Lifeguard Classes

How do I become a Lifeguard

Becoming a professional rescuer is something that requires a good deal of practical training. If you’re considering taking up class sessions, you should consider spending as much time as possible as you can in the pool beforehand. Ensure you’re feeling confident and capable in the water will put you in a great position for developing some of the more advanced techniques you’ll be tasked with learning. Please note that you must be at least 15 years of age to act as a lifeguard in a commercial pool, and you must be at least 16 years old to work on a beach.

What training do I need?

Lifeguard training classes will prepare you to meet the requirements involved in becoming fully certified. You’ll be taken to a training facility with swimming pools designed specifically for the testing requirements. Some of the requirements are as follows:

300 Yard Swim

You’ll need to be able to swim 300 yards in water without stopping for a break according to the international lifeguard training program. You’ll also have to be able to do this whilst alternating between a couple of different types of stroke. This may seem like quite the task at first, but you’ll be taught techniques such as rhythmic breathing and various ways of stabilizing which will make the process simple with a little bit of practice.

After performing 100 yards of front crawl, you can then be expected to switch to breaststroke for another 100 yards. After that, you may be asked to do a combination of both for the final 100, or simply do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

Water Competency

Another series of exercises will be assessed during your lifeguard training. Candidates must be able to display a general level of skill competency in the water by performing what is essentially a simulated rescue. The simulated rescue will look something like this:

• Place yourself in the water and tread water until advised to proceed.
• Swim 20 yards using a front crawl or breaststroke technique.
• Surface dive to retrieve a 10-pound object about 7-10 feet below water.
• Bring the object to the surface and swim back to your starting point.
• Exit the water without using a ladder or stairs.

You must complete this in 1 minute and 40 seconds to be compliant with the international lifeguard training program.

CPR, First Aid & Other Knowledge

The final aspect of any lifeguard training program will involve ensuring you’re proficient in CPR and first aid. You’ll learn how to treat both an active and passive (submerged) drowning victim with CPR. You’ll also learn a great variety of methods for treating an assortment of neck, spinal, and head injuries. Some of these skills will be performed on land. Others are designed to be applied in an active situation in the water.

A selection of other vital first aid knowledge will also be taught at this section of your lifeguard training, which will include techniques such as operating an AOD, controlling blood loss, making splints, and a plethora of other life-saving techniques.

After your first aid training and your pool test, you’ll be given a verbal assessment. This will briefly run through all you’ve learned and is normally a fairly informal process.

Why is training important?

For one thing, undertaking lifeguard training will grant you immediate access to a pretty comfortable job with a lot of responsibility and sociable working hours. An ILTP course completion certificate alone is recognized internationally so much that you could use it to obtain employment at aquatic facilities pretty much anywhere.

Even if you decide lifeguarding isn’t for you – your first aid certification will remain valid, which can help you land jobs in thousands of industries.

The skills you’ll pick up throughout the course of your training will very likely stick with you for life. It’s impossible to put a price tag on the knowledge that could end up saving a loved one or colleague one day.