A lifeguard’s job is to protect swimmers in their area of responsibility, including monitoring those on beaches and rafts. They must supervise swimmers out of the water and keep an eye out for dangerous conditions. Lifeguards must be experienced swimmers and formally trained and certified. It is often a seasonal job, but can become a full-time career with extended training.
A lifeguard does exactly what the title implies: she protects the lives of swimmers within her geographic scope of responsibility. This entails not only monitoring swimmers in the water, but also those on beaches, docks, wharves and rafts. A lifeguard’s job is to protect the entire swimming area.
The work is serious and requires the ability to observe many people of all ages and swimming abilities at the same time. These people may be confined to a pool area at hotels, municipal recreation areas, privately owned swim clubs or schools, or scattered along the shore of a river, lake or ocean. A lifeguard must also supervise and control the behavior of swimmers out of the water to ensure public safety and maintain a pleasant recreational environment.
A lifeguard’s main job is to make sure everyone under his command is safe. To improve the view of the area of responsibility, a lifeguard will usually sit in a high chair overlooking the pool or beach area. In larger open water areas, lifeguards are often found in rowboats to patrol the area. Binoculars are standard tools for most lifeguards.
In addition to watching swimmers, lifeguards keep an eye out for circumstances that could lead to dangerous conditions. Violent play that may cause injury or playing with risky objects or toys in the water or on the beach is prohibited. If an injury occurs, lifeguards are trained to provide basic first aid and have access to emergency phone numbers and trained personnel for more serious incidents.
A person must not only be an experienced swimmer and be able to handle emergencies calmly to become a lifeguard, but must also be formally trained and certified. The minimum certification required depends on the location, but a Red Cross Advanced Rescue Certificate or equivalent is usually required. The training course requires successful completion of 22 units of water safety instruction along with passing an approach and rescue techniques test. A refresher course must be approved by lifeguards every three years to qualify them for continued employment in most locations.
Being a lifeguard is often seen as just a summer job for young students, as it is a seasonal job in many parts of the country and generally does not require a high salary or include benefits. It can become a full-time career, however, if employment is through a cruise line or a club or covered facility that needs lifeguards year-round. With extended training, a lifeguard can also become a water safety instructor or a swimming teacher or coach, both of which pay considerably more than a lifeguard position.
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