How long does it take to become a lifguard?

Question

What courses do u have to take and how long does it take for a lifeguard

i live in canada ,,,,ontario

Answer 1

In Canada, all lifeguards and assistant lifeguards are certified by the Lifesaving Society of Canada (incorporated in Ontario as the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada), a nonprofit organization. The lifeguarding certification offered by the LSC is the National Lifeguard Service (NLS) program, which was officially launched in 1964, according to the LSS website. Although a Bronze Cross certification is the minimum training required to operate an aquatics facility in accordance to Canadian federal legislation, NLS is the only nationally recognized lifeguarding certification in most major Canadian aquatics facilities. Smaller facilities, such as the Public Pool in Harrison, B.C., allow for their lifeguards to be trained only to Bronze Cross standards. The Canadian Red Cross also offers a version of their own lifeguarding course. Although there is much controversy over which programs are better, as the NLS program is the only one recognized by federal law, some facilities will accept either one. Very seldomly are Red Cross Lifeguarding Courses offered in major aquatics facilities, instead favoring the more popular NLS program.

The Lifesaving Society of Canada's NLS program is split off into 4 separate specializations, or "options"; Pool, Waterpark, Waterfront and Surf. All candidates must complete the Core components of the Pool option, which teach basic lifeguarding skills and essential knowledge for lifeguarding any aquatic facility, before gaining additional certifications to the option-specific concentrations. The Waterpark option is the certification required to work at facilities equipped with wave pools and water slides, which present particular variations in rescue procedures than those found in the Pool Core components. The Waterfront option trains lifeguards for rescues on beaches with calm water, lakes or calm oceans, whereas the Surf option trains lifeguards with techniques for locations which experience surf conditions quite regularly. Because of the rarity of surf beaches in Canada, the Surf option has only been offered in two locations in the country, one in Tofino, BC and the other in Nova Scotia. The Surf option program was developed in part with representatives of Australia's surf lifeguards.

All prospective NLS candidates must be 16 years of age on the last day of the course prior to registration. They must also possess both a Standard First Aid certificate and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate, offered by the Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance or The Lifesaving Society of Canada, or an Aquatic Emergency Care certificate and CPR certificate offered by The Lifesaving Society. Prospective candidates must also hold a LSC Bronze Cross certification current within 2 years.

Particular variations in NLS standards exist, depending on the province in which the program is in operation. For example, lifeguards within the British Columbia/Yukon Division of the LSSC retain a "dedicated responder" status in their Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) standards, compared to other provinces where lifeguards are given a "lay rescuer" status, where pulse checks eliminated in the 2005/2006 CPR standards revision are kept relative to the rest of the country. Lifeguards in many eastern provinces are required by regulation to carry a buoyant rescue device while on duty, whereas others are trained in Oxygen Administration with pressurized oxygen equipment.

Assistant Lifeguards, and any prospective candidate for the NLS, must complete the Bronze Cross level of training, which requires a Bronze Medallion qualification prior to registration. The official designation earned from this course is of a "Lifesaver". The course stresses risk prevention, and differentiates a moral obligation for candidates to render assistance to those in aquatic emergencies relative to legal obligations required by lifeguards in a dedicated aquatic environment such as a pool. Rescuer safety is always stressed regardless of training and obligation; with that being said, a commonly held and debated philosophy is how lifesaving puts a rescuer's life before a victim/casualty's life, and vice versa for lifeguards. A common example of this is the Ladder approach used in Bronze Cross, (from least dangerous to most), whereas the Pia Carry is common practice for lifeguards rescuing drowning non-swimmers (DNS).

Bronze Medallion --> Bronze Cross + Standard First Aid + CPR --> National Lifeguard Service --> NLS Instructor --> NLS Examiner