Lifeguard Training & Certification

About This Camp & Activity

The purpose of the American Red Cross Lifeguarding course is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to:Prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies in both shallow water (less than 7 feet) and deeper water (7 feet or more).Provide professional-level care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries and sudden illnesses until emergency medical services (EMS) professionals take over.To enroll in the Lifeguarding course, you must be at least 15 years old before the last scheduled class session. To participate int eh course, you must be able to pass a prerequisite swimming skills evaluation, which includes two parts and takes place during the first in-person session. Prerequisite 1: Jump in, submerge, resurface and swim 150 yards continuously, tread water for 2 minutes, and then swim 50 more yards. While swimming, you must keep your face in the water and demonstrate good breath control. You may swim using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both. Swimming on the back or side is not permitted. Swim goggles are allowed. While treading, you must only use your legs. Prerequisite 2: Complete a timed event within 1 minute, 40 seconds. Starting in the water, swim 20 yards, your face may be in or out of the water. Swim goggles are not allowed. Surface dive (head-first or feet-first) to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object. Return to the surface and swim 20 yards with both hands and keeping your face at or near the surface. Swimming the distance underwater is not permitted. Exit the water without using a ladder or the steps. During the first in-person session, you will be required to provide proof of age and identity. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver's license, state identification card, passport, or birth certificate. If a birth certificate is used to provide proof of age, an additional form of identification with a photo is also needed to provide proof of identity. This course follows a blended learning model, which combines online coursework with in-person sessions. You will receive an email from the American Red Cross with instructors for accessing the online course content. To get started, log into the Red Cross Learning Center and from your home page, click on the class. Please plan to complete all of the assigned online modules at least 2 days prior to the corresponding in-person session. The online course content (16 modules) is designed to be completed in approximately 6 hours, with each module taking between 15 and 30 minutes to complete. You may require more or less time to complete each module. I recommend beginning the online coursework as soon as possible to ensure that you are able to complete all of the assigned online modules in advance of the corresponding in-person sessions.