And again, any teamwork built during in-service training is sure to carry out into other aspects of their job performance. If two people are looking at each other, they are both out. Giving staff the opportunity to maintain and improve upon their lifeguarding skills is an invaluable tool for your lifeguards. We encourage everyone to draft, plan, and understand the value of in-service trainings. The compilation of games, skill drills, activities, and guidance enhances training and conditioning of lifeguards and creates a high-performing staff. Chemical spills, inadvertent mixing, splash back and fumes increase risk exposure at every facility. Role play conversations between the guard and a member who may want to make an exception to the extended breath holding rule, skip the swim test or challenge the guard’s authority. LIFEGUARD IN-SERVICE AGENDA: FEBRUARY (Lifeguard Olympics @ SI) Swim Endurance Skillâ8x25m Sprints Scanning & AlertnessâColor Ball Drop Rescue SkillâPool Entries & Active Victims CPR SkillsâCPR Sequence w/ Emergency O2 First Aid SkillsâBad Allergic Reaction Spinal ManagementâNA this month Branch Specific TopicsâMember Engagment The benefits for holding regular lifeguard in-service trainings are numerous. Remind guards to âinvestigate inâ and âinvestigate outâ as they enter and exit the pool area, carefully scanning the pool prior to and following the rotation. Inservice Training is a vital part to ensure a lifeguard is competent and prepared to respond to an emergency. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Your trainings have to evolve as your staff does in order to keep everyone operating as their peak. Conduct random DROP drills when guards are on duty to test their awareness and responsiveness. Discuss whether it’s better for them to stand or sit in the elevated stand, sun-glare, blind spots, which activities will take place in each zone, and how zones change when lifeguard numbers change. This fosters teamwork and encouragement as well. Open Lines of Communication: Providing your lifeguards the opportunity to ask questions they may have about emergency situations and emergency response ⦠We try to focus on customer service a lot." The competition includes lifeguards from water parks, municipal pools, and country clubs. A StarGuard certification is the equivalent of a lifeguard certification from each of these other agencies. Here are some final things to keep in mind on your supervisory end in order to ensure your lifeguard in-service trainings are as effective as possible: Make it Mandatory/Incentivize it: Make sure staff attend in-services, making it mandatory is best, but that doesn’t mean you can’t incentivize it as well; for example, if staff complete their in-services perfectly they earn a party. Team-building skills are built upon from the days of naps and snack time to several years after you've been in a professional work environment. Practice AED application with expired pads. See more ideas about lifeguard, drill, gloves. Keep evolving them. ... Once submerged underwater, the swimmer is hidden from the view of lifeguards by surface glare and ripples/waves on the surface. Which is why affording your lifeguarding staff the opportunity to practice, maintain and improve the lifeguarding skills they learned in the training courses is of the utmost importance. towel, razor, and duct tape). Now what? But that is by no means an inclusive list. Mental Preparedness and Readiness: Preparedness and readiness may seem like two words for the same thing, but in an emergency setting, it can have two very different implications, with each being equally important. The important part is to make sure that your game is not only fun, but also tests the knowledge of your lifeguards. In-services go under many different names, such as skill practices, drills, or practice sessions. Here are some other things that should be part of your in-service curriculum:* Fitness aspect: swimming timed laps, treading water, or brick sprints. Or, once staff have mastered an in-water skill, have them work on how efficiently/quickly they can perform said skill. This includes non-lifeguarding staffâfront desk employees, counselors, leadership, etc. Hopefully you are now convinced that the benefits of holding lifeguard in-service trainings are too numerous to ignore. Inservice Training Ideas. From any way you look at it, there benefits for almost every aspect of your organization. Involve your lifeguards in the zone mapping of your pool, and discuss which area of the pool each guard... Equipment Use. As an example: rather than just having members swim their distances simultaneously, turn it into a team relay. Guards with good scanning skills stop small problems from becoming big problems. Discuss ways for guards to enforce rules appropriately. Aerobic fitness. While there are many things each in-service should contain, there are a few, that must be included in each and every lifeguard in-service training. Teamwork: Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of lifeguard in-service training is the opportunity for your lifeguarding staff to become familiar with each other. But remember, find what is important for your facility and your lifeguards, and start there. Pool chemicals safety is vital. Practice difficult scenarios with your lifeguards so that they feel empowered and prepared to confront adults, or large groups of people with assertiveness and confidence. So let’s get into some of the most important benefits that effective lifeguard in-service trainings provide. Pillows stuffed under a T-shirt show lifeguards how getting out of the water can be more difficult for some patrons than others. DROP drills... Lifeguard Zones. Apr 4, 2016 - These in-service drills focus on gloving up, basic to fanny pack, both dry and wet, stationary to running. Practice identifying the victim, entering the water for a rescue, giving verbal commands to a crowd, retrieving and using the AED/oxygen, and communicating with law enforcement. This not only raise issues with risk management, but lives are on the line. Highlight the importance of using inspection logs consistently. May 20, 2016 - It's training to be a better lifeguard. Terese McAninch Assistant Director of Recreation ~Aquatics Butler University tmcaninc@butler.edu Jen Wood Assistant Director, Aquatics Center Miami University klinejm@miamioh.edu Kristyn Watts Graduate Assistant ~Aquatics Ball State University kmwatts2@bsu.edu Climbing Wall Learn all the strategies + tools to create and sustain a dynamic, meaningful, and results focused inservice program. A woman collides with another swimmer while diving into the pool and asks the lifeguard for help. Now you change things up, the key to keeping your lifeguard in-service trainings challenging is to keep changing them. Emphasize the importance of the training first and foremost. Games should focus on skills like recognizing signs of a distressed swimmer, identifying hazards of inclement weather, understanding environmental dangers or improving aquatic conditioning. Document It: Keep careful records of the skills covered, and how adept the individual lifeguards each were at them, seek out those struggling with skills and guide them. And require staff to attend regularly; monthly is effective and efficient. Physical conditioning for the specific aquatics facility should meet aerobic and anaerobic energy systems requirements for that venue. Submit your education session proposals by January 8, 2021. Educate guards on how to look for signs of extended breath holding like hyperventilating, using a stopwatch to measure time under water, or the use of weights. And they all work toward ensuring you have a safe pool, with a well prepared lifeguarding staff. Finding a balance between fun for staff, and the seriousness of the job at hand, can be a difficult, and it all starts with you. And they are:* In-Water Skills scenario practice: It is best to focus on three main rescue groups during every in-service: active victim rescues, passive victim rescues, and head, neck, or back injury victim rescues. Perceptional and Inattention Blindness. Keep Up to Date: Finally, the science behind rescues, CPR, and lifeguarding procedures as a whole is always advancing, and as it does, so do the skills lifeguards utilize.With any changes, or new information, holding regular lifeguard in-services can be the most effective way to ensure your staff are up to date on all the latest information. We worry that if we continue to teach our lifeguards and parents the traditional signs and symptoms of drowning victims that have been taught for decades, they may create a mental picture of a drowning victim that does not match reality. Here are 12 in-service topics to help you organize your weekly meetings and ensure your teams success. Lifeguard Training Activities and Games is a complete resource for aquatics managers or lifeguard supervisors responsible for conducting site-specific on-the-job training for lifeguards. SAI is one of five, nationally-recognized lifeguard certification agencies which meet MAHC criteria: SAI, the American Red Cross, Ellis & Associates (E&A), NASCO and the YMCA. Try to keep things upbeat and entertaining through activities that help skills or physical endurance. Dangers of Breath-Holding. The new Child and Babysitting Safety (CABS) program from ASHI gives teenagers and young adults everything they need to know for safe and successful babysitting. When you say âlook up,â everyone has to look up and look at another personâs face. One of our customers has provided some examples of their in-service trainings. Start studying lifeguarding scenario. Have any other things you think MUST be included in in-service trainings? From any way you look at it, there benefits for almost every aspect of your organization. Open Lines of Communication: Providing your lifeguards the opportunity to ask questions they may have about emergency situations and emergency response procedures, does wonders for staff communication. * CPR/AED scenario practice: One of the most important skills lifeguards have is CPR, and the use of the AED. There are many aspects to lifeguard duties, from supervision, to rescuing swimmers, to basic knowledge of pool compliance.Lifeguards must be constantly vigilant. So you’ve been able to successfully recruit lifeguards for your staff. Lifeguard & Water Safety Preparation. The three basic keys to keep in mind when designing your curriculum for in-service trainings is to keep it: Challenging: If your staff aren’t being challenged with difficult situations, scenarios, and physical tests, how can they expect to tackle a real-life difficult situation? If your lifeguards aren’t given a proper place to practice and hone their skills after their initial training, they’ll begin to forget what they have learned, and that could spell disaster if an emergency occurred. These videos demonstrate a variety of different ways to prepare your guards. Music: Gold-Imagine Dragons Skills of any type fade away quickly if not used regularly. Each team is made up of two boys and two girls, so UP sent two â âHolmes Slicesâ and âUP In Here.â During the games, guards were set up with a variety of real ⦠Challenging your staff is key in making your lifeguard in-services valuable for everyone. Also, add in team challenges to get your lifeguards competing as a ⦠Physical Prep and Conditioning: Performing a deep-water head, neck, or spine injury rescue can be a very physically demanding incident. See more ideas about lifeguard, drill, train. Need to Convince Your Supervisor That You Should Attend the AOAP Conference? PreHospital Treatment of Drowning. What does your curriculum look like? Keeping these skills sharp and ever in the forefront of your lifeguard’s minds can save lives. These games are useful for lifeguard in-service training as skill-building and team-building exercises. Remind guards to be vigilant, to scan and to take action when necessary. News Coverage. Ensure your lifeguards understand that they are still on duty during rotation. So letâs get into some of the most important benefits that effective lifeguard in-service trainings provide. * Q&A session: where staff can ask any training related/scenario response related questions. As a result, our teachings may be counterproductive. CPR and First Aid Classes in WNY. Arms. Please feel free to use these resources and share widely. ... we will be able to focus back on lifeguard-specific skills and have our staff ready to lifeguard. All should be performed at the deepest part of your facility pool. Offer Frequently, Require Frequent Attendance: Offer several options so that all staff have the opportunity to attend in-services. Of course, honing your lifeguarding skills is vital for keeping your patrons safe in the event of an emergency. After lifeguards have finished their lifeguard training courses, it doesn’t mean they’re done training until the next time they have to re-certify. Hoping to share and inspire lifeguards with Lifeguarding In-service Drills. DROP drills are one of the trainings that we highly recommend implementing into a regular schedule. * Emergency Action Plans: go over what each staff member should do for various scenarios. Lifeguard fitness training is ⦠The Lifeguard Store has apparel, sunglasses, keychains & more that will make the perfect gift. They develop their trainings based on current trends, audit results or topics that their staff need to improve on. But be sure to emphasize that doing the skills correctly is more important than doing them quickly.Keeping your in-service trainings entertaining will help keep your lifeguards interested in attending them, and help keep you motivated to improve them for everyone. * On-Deck Skills scenario practice: Whether it’s some type of first aid, or other deck-based emergency/care situation it’s important not to allow the non-life threatening skills and knowledge fall into disuse. Aerobic conditioning and physical preparations are important to making sure your lifeguard can handle the rigors of a real emergency situation, and in-services give them the opportunity to improve their conditioning in a number of ways. Those risks only grow as more pool personnel have access to ⦠Inservice impacts lifeguard performance, motivation, effectiveness, teamwork, and the culture and success of your organization. Scanning â Start the summer off with a refresher on one of the most important lifeguarding skills. Another pair of lifeguards does ⦠Maintain and Hone Skills Developed in Lifeguard Training: As stated above, if you don’t use your skills, you lose them. Turning your in-service training skills into competitions can be a great way to foster an... Time Based Competitions. The pair gets out of the pool and performs CPR on a manikin. These lifesaving professionals keep swimmers safe and are the first line of defense against drowning. They’ve been trained for emergency situations and oriented to your operations. Include all staff that may be involved if an emergency occurs. That’s far too long! Whether it’s more consistent DROP Drills that every guard needs, or specific, reââmedial training to address a particular guard’s needsâin-service training is a necessary component of a culture of safety in and around the water. It’s always a fear people have, that despite their training, and how prepared they are, they won’t be mentally ready to act.But practicing their skills, and going over emergency scenarios with staff can go a long way toward empowering them and making sure they are not only mentally prepared for an emergency, but mentally ready to act. How often do your lifeguard have to complete in-services? Lifeguard fitness training is performed frequently. This gives the lifeguards a specific area to focus on during their shift. If you have questions on in-service trainings at your facility, please reach out to your Redwoods Consultant. There are a few things that you should consider when planning and scheduling your in-service training for the year: Before reviewing some specific topics, it is helpful to visit some basic principles which will help you to ensure an effective training program: Recognizing Medical Events and Extended Breath Holding. 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