Today was the 3rd installment of my lifeguarding class. We tackled the CPR and First Aid portion of the requirements. We didn’t swim at all today. I was a happy camper since I had a birthday party to attend at 2PM and I wanted to be there for as much of the party as possible. Not swimming meant that I didn’t need to shower and get ready from scratch before the party.
When I volunteered for the Metro Parks Serving Summit County a few years back, I used to teach the basic Red Cross class. I was amazed at how much I remembered today. We did the standard Red Cross format of video and mannequin skill practice.
We have a pretty small class and that allowed for enough mannequins to go around, so the class moved at a pretty good pace. A few items have changed since I was last certified, but for the most part, it’s about the same.
We also talked about the AED, its use, and checked out the trainer AED. We ended that portion of the class with information about spill kits.
We completed all of the necessary videos and skills. All we have left is to take the test. All of our testing will be next week at our last class.
We have a written test for lifeguarding and another for First Aid/CPR. Then, we’ll head to the pool for skills. We’ll have victims to rescue and will be given different scenarios. We will have to describe what we would do to our instructor. We’ll each have about 3 of them to complete.
At the end of next Sunday’s class, I should be a certified lifeguard.