At the time of any emergency or dangerous situation, the lifeguard, who is a qualified person, trained and in charge of monitoring and preventing any type of accident in aquatic areas, must act with great precision and have a response to an accident.
Therefore, your reaction must be immediate, since the first few minutes are crucial when rescuing a person from a drowning situation. In addition, you must be very clear about how to perform first aid and do not hesitate for a moment.
For this reason, at The American Lifeguard Association, we make sure that our lifeguards have complete and up-to-date training in first aid. Facing the bathing season on most of the beaches and swimming pools of the Malaga coast, it is essential that the rescue teams are prepared and know how to act in each rescue situation.
But what are the risk situations that a lifeguard can find in aquatic areas?
The presence of a lifeguard is essential in any bathing area and their location must be optimal to be able to monitor and control the aquatic area. The lifeguard must have full control of their field of vision and be able to see the entire area without obstacles in between.
At all times you must be alert and concentrated in the assigned area, without distractions, in order to anticipate any danger that could arise around bathers, especially the area where children and elderly people are concentrated.
There are many people who are concentrated around an aquatic area and all kinds of situations can occur such as heart disease, diabetes, pregnancy, and respiratory or neurological diseases. It is not necessary for the rescuer to be an expert in medicine, but it is important that he knows how to detect basic patterns that help the medical services when they go to the scene of the accident.
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How the lifeguard should act and apply first aid
- The lifeguard must know how to apply and know the technique of CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) perfectly.
- Know the values of blood pressure and heart rate, to detect if it could be a possible heart attack.
- Know the basic values of blood sugar, in case it is a drop or rise in sugar.
- Measure blood oxygen saturation to determine if the patient is oxygen deficient.
- Know and proceed before a possible STROKE.
- Handle perfectly before a fall if there is major or minor trauma, in addition to performing immobilizations and bandages.
- Act correctly before burns.
- Treat bleeding appropriately.
- Assess the patient fully.
- Correctly fill in intervention reports to inform healthcare personnel.
In short, the lifeguard must have the basic notions to know how to act in any situation regardless of the magnitude, for this reason, the rescue teams must be constantly updated and renewed on said courses. At The American Lifeguard Association, we have a team of highly qualified lifeguards who are certified by official bodies.
If you are interested in taking the lifeguard training courses at The American Lifeguard Association, you can contact us by sending an email or just visit one of our lifeguard training centres near you. The American Lifeguard Association is located in all the major cities all over the country making it easier for you to find us for lifeguard training near you.
Here are some of the requirements you need to meet:
• Be physically fit.
• Must know how to swim
• At least be 16 years old
• Soft-spoken to the public
• Can swim while dragging heavyweights
These are the basic requirement to be registered for lifeguard training near me. The rest will be taught during your training. Lifeguard training teaches you discipline and responsibility to save the lives of the people who depend on you while having fun in the water.