Are you 15 or older and looking for a great summer job or a challenging career? American Red Cross Lifeguarding is the best place to start! Lifeguarding can put you on the path to exciting opportunities. You could be part of a team that saves a life!

Colleges and employers look for applicants who can deal effectively with people, who have a take charge attitude and who are willing to work to develop new skills.

Prerequisites:

• Minimum age 15
• Swim 300 yards continuously
• 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.

Additional Waterfront Prerequisites:

• Swim 550 yards (about 500 meters) continuously.
• Swim 5 yards, submerge and retrieve three dive rings placed 5 yards apart in 4-7 feet of water, resurface and swim 5 yards to the side of the pool.

What You Will Learn

American Red Cross lifeguard training is both challenging and rewarding. Through classroom and hands-on practice, you'll:

Additional Waterfront Learning Objectives

• Describe conditions that affect surveillance at a waterfront.
• Describe and demonstrate how to perform the skills used in special rescue situations, such as missing person procedures and cold-water rescue.
• Demonstrate how to perform water-specific rescue skills for a waterfront facility. 

Additional Waterpark Learning Objectives

• Understand the conditions that affect surveillance at a waterpark.
• Understand and be able to explain safety rules and considerations at waterparks.
• Demonstrate how to perform specific water rescue skills for a waterpark facility.

Enroll today for American Red Cross Lifeguarding at an aquatics facility near you. Course lengths vary from 30 to 37 hours and options include:

• Lifeguarding - for lifeguards working at traditional pools. Course length is 31.25 hours, including precourse session.
• Waterfront Lifeguarding - for lifeguards at non-surf, open-water environments such as lakes and rivers, as well as traditional pools. Course length is37 hours, including the precourse session.
• Waterpark Lifeguarding - for lifeguards at waterparks, multi-attraction facilities and traditional pools. Course length is 33.25 hours, including the precourse session.
• Shallow Water Attendant - for lifeguards that will work only in areas with water attractions up to four feet deep. Course length 30.5 hours, including the precourse session.

Additional course options found at your local aquatic facility include:

• GuardStart: Lifeguarding Tomorrow (for those 11-14 years old)
• Lifeguard Management (designed for aquatic managers and lifeguard supervisors)

Certification Requirements:

• Attend and participate in all course sessions;
• Successfully perform all required skills;
• Successfully complete three final skill scenarios; and
• Pass the written exam with a score of 80 percent or better on each section

Certificate Issued and Validity Period:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will receive a Lifeguard Training and First Aid Certificate, valid for 3 years and a CPR & AED for the Professional Rescuer Certificate, valid for 1 year.

For more information, please call our Lifeguard Hotline: (262) 970-7443.

Course Sections:

American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim courses offer something for everyone. Through a progressive, six-level instructional approach, participants learn a variety of strokes, including the front crawl, back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and butterfly. They are also introduced to a wide range of personal safety skills and diving techniques. Courses are fun and interactive with hands-on training. More advanced-level students refine their skills, learn the basics of springboard diving and how to incorporate swimming into a lifetime fitness plan.

Where you can find swim lessons

Please contact a facility near you for dates, times and class fees.

American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim courses include:

Builds basic water safety skills for both parents and children, helping infants and young children ages 6 months to about 3 years become comfortable in the water so they are willing and ready to learn to swim. These basic skills include adjusting to the water environment, showing comfort while maintaining a front or back position in the water and demonstrating breath control, including blowing bubbles or voluntarily submerging under water.

Level 1
Introduces basic skills to parents and children, including safety topics.

Level 2
Builds on the skills introduced in Level 1, with participants improving these skills and learning more advanced skills.

Gives young children around ages 4 and 5 a positive, developmentally appropriate aquatic learning experience that emphasizes water safety and survival concepts. Skills are age-appropriate, helping participants achieve success on a regular basis while in a class environment with their peers

Level 1
Helps participants feel comfortable in the water and enjoy the water safely.

Level 2
Builds on the skills learned in Level 1 and gives participants success with fundamental skills such as floating and basic locomotion.

Level 3
Builds on the skills in Level 2 and improves participants’ coordination of simultaneous arm and leg actions and alternating arm and leg actions.

Based on a logical, six-level progression that helps swimmers of all ages and varying abilities develop their swimming and water safety skills. It is designed to give participants a positive learning experience.

Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills
Helps participants feel comfortable in the water.

Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Participants gain success with fundamental skills.

Level 3: Stroke Development
Builds on the skills in Level 2 through additional guided practice in deeper waters.

Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Participants develop confidence in the skills learned and improves other aquatic skills.

Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.

Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency
Refines the strokes so participants swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. This level is designed with options that focus on preparing participants for lifetime fitness and safety.

Provides individuals such as public safety personnel, aquatic fitness instructors and aquatic therapists, with information and skills necessary to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies. This course will also prepare individuals for aquatic emergencies by teaching them how to protect themselves while assisting others.

Designed to teach school-age children about water safety and drowning prevention. Fun classroom based activities covering a range of water safety topics, including lessons on sun safety, water safety around the home, and water safety in different environments, such as waterparks, lakes and rivers.

Duration: 36 hours

Duration: 40 hours