Strapped to an orange board while playing an unconscious drowning victim, Joseph Manna could only lie immobile while his fellow lifeguards-in-training “saved” him.
The Newton South sophomore and other students aiming to be American Red Cross-certified lifeguards have been learning essential techniques at the West Suburban YMCA’s training program. Those who make it through likely will be in high demand, considering local water recreation spots have opened or will be opening soon. In the city, Gath Memorial Pool and Crystal Lake will welcome swimmers for the season on June 12.
“There’s still a nationwide shortage of lifeguards…it’s still an ongoing problem,” said Kelly Barker, director of association aquatics at the West Suburban YMCA.
During a recent session at the Y’s Church Street branch, Barker instructed the all-teen class how to properly secure an unconscious person to a board to stabilize their body. Once the “victim” was secured, Barker instructed the teens how to coordinate their efforts to hoist him – board and all – onto the pool deck.
“The most important piece [of] information I learned was probably how to assist victims with head, neck, and spinal injuries,” said Newton freshman Hannah Sung.
Needham teen Matthew Casey said he was surprised at “how hard it is to lift someone out of the water with no floatation device.”
Sung concurred, saying she was surprised to learn “how hard all this training actually is on your body.”
Lifeguards not only must master lifesaving techniques themselves, they also need to learn to coordinate their efforts.
“The most surprising thing I learned while taking these classes is that teamwork is key,” said Manna. “While the beginning stages of most water rescues are independent, it quickly becomes a team effort, and communicating with them is super important.”
Sung, who enrolled in the classes for the first time, said she “wanted to help my community out and help people feel more safe and comfortable in the water.”
Getting your feet wet
Barker said students must be at least 15 to take the lifeguarding classes. According to its website, the Y has several prerequisites before students can enroll, including:
- Being able to swim 300 yards continuously, demonstrating breath control, and rhythmic breathing.
- Being able to tread water for 2 minutes using only the legs.
- Being able to do the following in 1 minute, 40 seconds without goggles: Swim 20 yards; surface dive (feet or head first) to a depth of 7-10 feet and retrieve a 10-pound object; swim 20 yards back to the beginning with both hands holding the object; and get out of the pool without using a ladder or stairs.
For those who pass the pre-requisites, Barker said the Y offers blended learning, with seven hours of online content and two full days of in-person training.
During the most recent program this spring, the majority of students were teens and current lifeguards who must earn Red Cross recertification every two years. However, Barker said she wishes that retirees and other adults would also take the training.
“Lifeguarding is for everyone. It doesn’t have to be for the super competitive swimmer,” she said.
The West Suburban YMCA branches are located at 276 Church Street and 135 Wells Avenue. Go here for more information on the Y’s lifeguarding program.
