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Please fill out this page upon registration and
return it back to the front desk staff. This page
must be submitted for you to complete the online
trainings. Thank you
Lifeguard Candidate’s Information (for course purposes only)
Date of Course:____________________
Name:___________________________
Cell phone:________________________
Email address:_____________________
Home address:_____________________
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Candidate Welcome Letter
Dear Lifeguard Candidate,
Thank you for enrolling in the YMCA Lifeguard Training course. The Y believes
that preventing an accident and saving a life is worth the hours of training and
dedication essential to becoming a competent lifeguard. YMCA-certified lifeguards
have a serious responsibility to prevent accidents and handle emergencies properly.
It is imperative that lifeguards and aquatic safety assistants are physically trained,
mentally alert, and have the maturity to safely guard an aquatic area.
We expect you to demonstrate your maturity at all times during classroom and
pool instruction by:
Participating in ALL class, pool, and practice sessions
Arriving promptly and prepared with a picture ID or other proof of age
Presenting a positive attitude and courteous class conduct
Making an appointment with the instructor when you have difficulty
understanding the material presented or if you have specific testing needs
To complete the course successfully, you will be required to perform the following:
Complete all online trainings prior to the beginning of the onsite training.
This includes Lifeguard Training eLearning on
(http://training.ymca.net/lifeguard) and AHSI (CPR, 1st Aid, & Oxygen)
online trainings, which is sent out via email a week prior to the first day of
the training. Upon completing each section, you MUST print out the
certificates of completion. The online trainings will take approximately 6 to
8.5 hours.
Demonstrate competency in each critical skill taught in the course;
competency is defined as being able to perform each critical skill correctly
and without guidance.
Successfully complete CPR Pro for the Professional Rescuer (including AED),
First Aid for the Community, and Emergency Oxygen Administration
certifications.
Successfully complete water tests and all scenarios.
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Pass all written exams with at least an 80% score. The YMCA Lifeguard
exam requires an 80% score or better on each section of the exam to
pass.
Pass the following Physical Competency Requirements (conducted in class on
the first day):
o Phase 1
Tread water for 2 minutes (legs only)
Swim 100 yards of front crawl
o Phase 2
Swim 50 yards of each:
1. Front crawl with the head up
2. Sidestroke
3. Breaststroke
4. Breaststroke with the head up
5. Elementary backstroke kick with hands on the chest
Perform a feetfirst surface dive in 8 to 10 feet of water (or
maximum depth of training facility). Then swim underwater for 15
feet.
o Phase 3
Participants will start in the water at the shallow end and perform
the following:
Sprint for a distance of approximately 60 feet and then perform an
arm-over-arm surface dive in 8 to 10 feet of water (or maximum
depth of training facility).
Pick up an object (dive ring) from the bottom of the pool, surface
and tread water for at least 1 minute with legs only, and then
replace the object back on the bottom of the pool where it was
found.
Surface and swim the remaining length to the end of the pool and
hoist yourself out of water without using a ladder or other
assistance.
Immediately begin compression on an adult manikin for 1 minute
or 100 compressions; stand and listen to directions from instructor.
The following prerequisites must be met prior to attending the course:
Must bring proof of online training completion: Lifeguard and CPR/1
st
Aid/Oxygen administrator
Minimum age: 16 years old by the last day of the scheduled course.
Under the age of 18 must have parental consent to participate in the course.
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You also must be able to accomplish these tasks:
Sit for extended periods of time in an elevated chair. A candidate must
remain alert and focused on the entire zone of responsibility for extended
periods of time, even under conditions of high heat and humidity, with no
lapses in consciousness. Move safely to various locations, including entering
and exiting an elevated chair, while scanning the zone of responsibility.
Communicate with others immediately when responding to an
incident or an emergency. Candidates must be able to communicate
verbally, including projecting their voice across distances; communicate
swiftly and clearly with emergency personnel over the telephone and or in
person; and effectively give and receive directions.
Hear noises and distress signals in the aquatic environment, including
in the water and anywhere around the zone of responsibility. Candidates
must understand that significant background noise exists in all indoor and
outdoor aquatic environments. In addition, lifeguard candidates should have
a minimum hearing threshold of no more than an average of a 25-decibel
loss in both ears over a range of frequencies (500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 788
and 3000Hz). Candidates who use hearing aids or other corrective devices
for hearing should be able to perform all rescue skills and emergency
procedures without interruptions to adjust, retrieve or install or attach
hearing aid/corrective device. Remain alert with no lapses of consciousness.
Observe all sections of an assigned zone or area of responsibility.
Candidates who use corrective eyewear should be able to perform all rescue
skills and emergency procedures without interruptions to adjust, clear, or
retrieve corrective eyewear.
Perform all rescue, resuscitation, and survival skills. Candidates must
be able to perform basic first aid such as manual suction, use a bag-valve
mask resuscitator, administer emergency oxygen, use an AED (automated
external defibrillator), and perform professional rescuer CPR.
Think in the abstract, solve problems, make quick decisions, instruct,
evaluate, supervise, and recognize the potential for danger or injury.
Have adequate memory skills and be able to retain and apply the
knowledge learned in lifeguard training.
Act swiftly in an emergency and take action even when unsure whether a
person is really in danger.
By enrolling in this course you are attesting that you can perform all of the above
tasks.
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Paying the course fee does not guarantee certification. Upon successful completion
of the course, you will receive YMCA Lifeguard certification. The YMCA Lifeguard
certifications for Basic First Aid for the Community and Emergency Oxygen
Administration are valid for two years. You will also earn certification for CPR Pro
for the Professional Rescuer, which is valid for one year. YMCA Lifeguard
certification is only valid if all required certifications are kept current. After one
year, you will need to renew your CPR Pro for the Professional Rescuer certification
and send proof to YMCA of the USA (event.registration@ymca.net) to keep your
YMCA Lifeguard certification current.
Please note that if a candidate is unable to complete the competency swim
efficiently (upon the instructor’s discretion), he or she will not be able to
move forward with the course. A refund will be issued minus a fee of $40
for online trainings and administration process.
A valid email address must be provided below. An online link (CPR, First
Aid, and Oxygen) will be sent to email a week prior to attending the first
day. All three modules must be completed in full, and printed certificate
must be given to the instructor upon arrival. The candidate will not be able
to move forward with the course without proof of these certifications.
The Y looks forward to teaching the knowledge and skills needed to be a YMCA
lifeguard.
Sincerely,
Your Lifeguard Instructor(s)
Valid Email address required (for course purposes only)
____________________________________________
I have read and agree to the above requirements.
_______________________ _________________________________
Candidate’s signature Parent/Guardian’s signature (If candidate is under 18
years of age)
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Minor Participants Permission Form
To: Parent/Guardian
From: Lifeguard Instructor
Dear Sir or Madam: Thank you for enrolling you child in the YMCA Lifeguard
Training Program.
According to our enrollment records, your child is under age 18, which requires us
to obtain your legal consent for you child to participate in our training course.
Access to the class is granted when your child brings this form to the first day of
class. Please fill out the information below and give this form to your child.
Please review the Welcome Letter with your child prior signing this for and have
him/her sign in the designated place below.
We look forward to having your child in class!
Thank you
I grant permission for __________________________ to participate in the YMCA
Lifeguard Training Program.
Parent/Guardian Signature:_________________________________ Date:_______
I have read and reviewed the Welcome Letter and understand the training program
criteria.
Lifeguard Candidate Signature:_______________________________ Date:______