50 Fun Facts About Lifeguard

Alongside swimming and water rescue, lifeguards are trained and certified in which two emergency skills?

Lifeguards are certified in CPR/AED and first aid alongside rescue skills; in some beach communities the lifeguard service is the primary emergency medical provider.

Under the profession's prevention-first model, how is a lifeguard unit's effectiveness best measured?

Effectiveness is measured by the absence or reduction of drownings, not by rescues made; the drowning-chain model stresses prevention through education, warnings, denied access, supervision and survival training.

A typical lifeguard certification lasts how long before it must be renewed?

A typical lifeguard certification lasts 1-2 years: the American Red Cross lifeguarding certificate and the UK's National Pool Lifeguard Qualification are each valid for two years before renewal.

Which lifeguard water entry is the slowest, used when a spinal injury is suspected?

The slide-in is the slowest, gentlest entry: the guard sits on the edge and eases into the water, so it is used for shallow or unknown depths and suspected spinal injuries.

How long may an 'active drowning person', showing the instinctive drowning response, have before sinking?

An active drowning person usually stays at the surface for less than 60 seconds; Frank Pia's studies put it at 20 to 60 seconds, so lifeguards treat the behaviour as an immediate rescue.

Under the international beach flag system, swimmers should stay between flags of which two colours?

Red and yellow flags mark the lifeguard-patrolled swimming area in the International Life Saving Federation's flag code, while a single red flag warns that conditions are dangerous.

Which US organisation developed the 10/20 Protection Standard for pool lifeguards?

Jeff Ellis and Associates, an aquatic-safety consultancy, created the standard and is one of the main bodies certifying US lifeguards, alongside the American Red Cross and the YMCA.

Which environment does the lifeguard profession consider the most challenging to guard?

Ocean beaches are considered the hardest environment to guard: weather, rip currents, tides and surf change by the hour, so beach lifeguards need peak fitness and open-water skills.

Which city's beach patrol, the oldest in the United States, was founded in the 1890s?

The beach patrol of Atlantic City, New Jersey, formed in the early 1890s, is the oldest continuously operating beach patrol in the United States.

The California State Lifeguards are unusual in also performing what kind of duties?

California State Lifeguards perform law enforcement duties: permanent state lifeguards are sworn State Park Peace Officers within California State Parks, with arrest powers alongside their rescue work.

In Australia, what are the volunteer beach patrollers called, as distinct from paid lifeguards?

Surf lifesavers are the volunteer members of Surf Life Saving Australia who patrol beaches on weekends and public holidays during the patrol season, while councils employ paid lifeguards.

Surf lifesaving originated in response to drownings at Sydney beaches in which year?

Surf lifesaving began in 1907: the Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club was formally established on 21 February 1907 at the Royal Hotel, Bondi, after a run of drownings.

Bondi and Bronte dispute the title of first surf club with which other club?

Manly Life Saving Club, Bondi Surf Bathers' and Bronte all claim to be the world's first surf lifesaving club, each tracing its origins to Sydney's beaches in the early 1900s.

Which country's DLRG is the world's largest aquatic lifeguard organisation, with over a million members?

Germany's DLRG (Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft) was founded in 1913, prompted by a 1912 pier collapse at Binz on Rügen, and has grown into the world's largest volunteer water-rescue organisation.

Canada's National Lifeguard programme, run by the Lifesaving Society, launched in which year?

The Lifesaving Society introduced its National Lifeguard award in 1964; it is Canada's standard lifeguard certification and is offered in pool, waterpark, waterfront and surf options.

In Brazil, most lifeguards are members of which service?

Like the military police, fire-department members, including lifeguards, are considered military and a reserve of the army.

The UK's National Pool Lifeguard Qualification course lasts a minimum of how many hours?

The NPLQ requires a minimum of 36 hours of training and assessment; it is valid for two years and is awarded by the Institute of Qualified Lifeguards, RLSS UK's awarding body.

Which Indian state has the longest lifeguard-patrolled coastline, 105 km, guarded by Drishti Marine?

Goa's 105 km coastline is patrolled by Drishti Marine, a private lifesaving agency contracted by the Goa government, giving the state India's longest lifeguard-covered shore.

What is the inflatable flotation device with snap hooks that Pete Peterson developed in 1935 called?

The rescue tube, first made as the inflatable 'Peterson tube' in 1935, has snap hooks so it can be clipped around a victim; the rigid rescue can is the other classic float.

In which direction should a swimmer caught in a rip current head to escape?

Swim parallel to the shore: a rip is a narrow channel of water flowing seaward, so moving sideways out of it and then back to the beach at an angle beats fighting it head-on.

For adults, what chest-compression-to-breath ratio is taught in CPR?

Adult CPR uses a 30 to 2 ratio: 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths, a standard adopted in the 2005 resuscitation guidelines to limit pauses in compressions.

At what rate per minute should CPR chest compressions be delivered?

Compressions should be delivered at 100 to 120 per minute, the tempo of the Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive', and at least two inches (5 cm) deep on an adult.

What craft, crewed by four rowers and a sweep, is raced at Australian lifesaving carnivals?

The surf boat, a heavy rowing craft with four rowers and a standing sweep on the steering oar, has been raced at Australian surf lifesaving carnivals since the early twentieth century.

Which surf lifesaving race combines swim, board, ski and run legs in one event?

The surf ironman is a staple of Australian surf lifesaving carnivals, combining swim, board-paddle, surf-ski and beach-run legs in one continuous race through the surf.

Which network cancelled Baywatch after one season, before syndication made it the world's most-watched show?

NBC cancelled Baywatch after its 1989-90 season; revived in first-run syndication, it was later listed by Guinness as the world's most-watched TV show, claiming over a billion weekly viewers.

At which Los Angeles County beach was most of Baywatch filmed?

Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades was Baywatch's main filming location, its real lifeguard headquarters doubling as the show's; the title came from LA County's 'Baywatch' rescue boats.

David Hasselhoff's Baywatch character, the head lifeguard, is named what?

Mitch Buchannon, played by David Hasselhoff, was the lieutenant in charge of the Baywatch lifeguards; the other names belong to fellow guards on the show.

After a 1999 move of setting and cast, Baywatch was retitled with which state's name?

Baywatch: Hawaii ran from 1999 to 2001 after production moved from California to Oahu with a largely new cast; Baywatch Nights had been the earlier detective spin-off.

Which future US president spent his teenage summers as a lifeguard, credited with 77 rescues?

Ronald Reagan worked as a lifeguard at Lowell Park on the Rock River near Dixon, Illinois, for seven summers from 1926 and was credited with 77 rescues.

Which Olympic swimmer rescued eight men from a capsized boat at Newport Beach in 1925?

Duke Kahanamoku paddled his surfboard out to the capsized boat Thelma in June 1925 and pulled eight men from the surf, a feat that helped popularise the board as rescue equipment.

Bondi Rescue, the reality series following Bondi's council lifeguards, first aired when?

Bondi Rescue first aired on Network Ten in 2006, following Waverley Council's professional Bondi Beach lifeguards rather than the weekend volunteers.

The RNLI was founded in 1824 with a name describing its purpose as the preservation of life from what?

Its 1824 name was the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck; with King George IV's patronage it gained the 'Royal' prefix and became the RNLI in 1854.

In which year was the Royal Life Saving Society UK, the charity behind the NPLQ, founded?

The Royal Life Saving Society was founded in London in 1891 by William Henry as the Swimmers' Life Saving Society; its UK arm awards the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification.

What does USLA, the body for American open-water lifeguards, stand for?

USLA stands for the United States Lifesaving Association, a non-profit of open-water lifeguards that certifies beach lifeguard agencies and compiles national rescue and drowning statistics.

Competitive lifesaving is a regular sport at which international multi-sport event?

Lifesaving is a long-standing World Games sport: the World Games showcase disciplines outside the Olympic programme and include both pool-rescue and ocean events.

The International Life Saving Federation has its headquarters in which Belgian city?

The International Life Saving Federation has been based in Leuven since it was formed there in 1993 by merging World Life Saving and the Fédération Internationale de Sauvetage Aquatique.

What do lifeguards call the technique of immobilising a suspected spinal-injury victim's head and neck?

In-line stabilization keeps a suspected spinal-injury victim's head, neck and spine aligned; lifeguards practise it in and out of the water, with shallow- and deep-water variations.

Why do lifeguards usually work from an elevated chair or platform?

Height gives maximum visibility over the zone, letting a guard scan the whole area for swimmers in trouble; the chair also stores rescue gear and marks where the public can find help.

Which Hawaiian big-wave surfer was Waimea Bay's first lifeguard, credited with over 500 rescues?

Eddie Aikau became Waimea Bay's first official lifeguard in 1968 and was credited with more than 500 rescues; he was lost at sea in 1978 trying to save the Hokule'a's crew.

In which year was Belgium's coastal lifeguard service, credited with making its coast among the safest, set up?

The IKWV, Belgium's intermunicipal coastal rescue service, was set up in 1982; its beach guards are mostly students trained through the province of West Flanders.

In a common pool whistle protocol, two short blasts are used to get whose attention?

One short blast is for a swimmer, three short blasts mean a lifeguard is activating the emergency action plan, and two long blasts clear the pool.

A stride-jump water entry should only be used when the water is at least how deep?

The stride jump needs at least five feet of water and a starting point no more than three feet above the surface; run-and-swim entries are for zero-depth shallows.

Germany's Rettungsschwimmer Silber test includes a 300 m swim in clothing within how many minutes?

The Silber award demands a 300 m swim in clothing within 12 minutes, followed by undressing in the water; candidates also swim 25 m underwater and complete timed rescue tows.

The Reddingsbrigade is the volunteer lifeguard association of which country?

Reddingsbrigade Nederland is the Netherlands' federation of volunteer lifeguard brigades; beyond beach and pool patrols it runs a national rescue fleet that can be called out when the country floods.

In Australian surf lifesaving, what are the children being trained by volunteer patrols called?

Nippers are the junior members of Surf Life Saving Australia, aged roughly five to thirteen, who learn beach safety, board paddling and surf skills in weekly club programmes.

Which award is the minimum requirement for employment at most swimming pools in Singapore?

The Singapore Life Saving Society's Bronze Medallion is the standard pool lifeguard award; candidates work through Lifesaving 1, 2 and 3 first, and Australia's surf clubs use a same-named award for patrolling members.

California public-sector lifeguards train in an advanced medical course known by what name?

Title 22 is the California regulation setting the First Aid for Public Safety Personnel course, a 21-hour standard beyond basic first aid; some lifeguards go on to qualify as EMTs.

What must lifeguard candidates typically retrieve from the pool floor in prerequisite tests?

The usual trio of prerequisites is a mid-distance swim, a timed water tread and the brick dive, before the 25-to-30-hour course even starts.

In the lifeguard rescue hierarchy, which option is meant to be the last resort?

Swimming straight to the casualty is the last resort: the hierarchy runs reach, throw, wade, row, then swim with an aid, each step keeping the rescuer from becoming a second casualty.

Which lifeguard category covers a victim floating face-down or submerged and not moving?

A passive drowning person is motionless, floating face-down or submerged, and needs an immediate emergency rescue, whereas a distressed swimmer is usually just helped to the side.