u/fleet_the_fox are a little too intense. I was an Ellis lifeguard for 8 years and worked at an inner city pool (read as ghetto). Lots of kids that did not know how to swim would come into the facility all the time. I will agree that Red Cross lifeguards are generally a joke, but there are obviously exceptions. Just as there are Ellis guards that don't know what they are doing. VAT training and audits help, but during the summer facilities need guards and will take substandard guards.
Honestly, if you are making as many saves as you say you are, then you are not doing a good job of lifeguarding. Those people/kids should not end up in an area that they can't navigate safely. Swim checks and visual scans of both the pool and those approaching it need to occur constantly. In my 8 years of lifeguarding I only performed 3 rescues. I find that the key to successful lifeguarding is being outspoken with the patrons. Guards who won't yell at kids/adults for breaking rules are the most dangerous because they allow patrons to push the limits and that's when serious rescues can happen
veteran_lifeguard3 karma
u/fleet_the_fox are a little too intense. I was an Ellis lifeguard for 8 years and worked at an inner city pool (read as ghetto). Lots of kids that did not know how to swim would come into the facility all the time. I will agree that Red Cross lifeguards are generally a joke, but there are obviously exceptions. Just as there are Ellis guards that don't know what they are doing. VAT training and audits help, but during the summer facilities need guards and will take substandard guards.
Honestly, if you are making as many saves as you say you are, then you are not doing a good job of lifeguarding. Those people/kids should not end up in an area that they can't navigate safely. Swim checks and visual scans of both the pool and those approaching it need to occur constantly. In my 8 years of lifeguarding I only performed 3 rescues. I find that the key to successful lifeguarding is being outspoken with the patrons. Guards who won't yell at kids/adults for breaking rules are the most dangerous because they allow patrons to push the limits and that's when serious rescues can happen
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