Safety is our first priority! Our principal goal is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment to patrons of the more than 500 facilities that we have a privilege to manage. High Sierra Pools lifeguards have prevented many pool accidents in the past and we are proud of our perfect safety record.
Lifeguard Training
The skills learned and developed as a lifeguard hold great value, not only for careers in aquatics or recreation, but for any career or life situation that involves working with others. Using these skills and experiences, many lifeguards have gone on to become successful in a variety of professions including business, law and politics. At least one President of United States, Ronald Reagan, began his professional career as a lifeguard.
High Sierra Pools provides American Red Cross Lifeguard Training throughout the year. The primary purpose of the Red Cross Lifeguarding program is to provide entry-level lifeguard participants with the knowledge and skills to prevent, recognize and respond to emergencies, and to provide care for injuries and sudden illnesses until Emergency Medical Services personnel arrive and take over.
The course content and activities prepares participants to recognize and respond quickly and effectively to emergencies and prevent injuries and drowning.
- New lifeguards and candidates with expired certificates can sign up for a Lifeguarding course – CPR/AED, Lifeguarding/First Aid (three days). Upon successful completion of the Lifeguarding course, each participant will receive two American Red Cross Universal Certificates – one indicating Lifeguarding/First aid, which is valid for 3 years and another indicating CPR/AED for Professional Rescuer, which is valid for 1 year.
- For people with a valid Lifeguarding/First Aid certificate Sierra offers CPR & AED classes (one day).
Requirements for taking the Lifeguard Training Course:
To be eligible for the Lifeguarding course, the participant must be at least 15 years old and must successfully complete the following:
- Swim 300 yards (1yard equals 0.9 meters) continuously, using these strokes in the following order:
- 100 yards of front crawl using rhythmic breathing and a stabilizing, propellant kick.
- 100 yards of breaststroke using a pull, breath, kick and glide sequence.
- 100 yards of either the front crawl or breaststroke. The 100 yards may be combination of front crawl and breaststroke.
- Starting in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10 pound object, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Participant must:
- Attend all class sessions.
- Demonstrate competency in all required skills and activities.
- Demonstrate competency in three final skill scenarios.
- Correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions in three sections of the final written test (80 questions).
CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer
Objectives: Recognizing and caring for breathing and cardiac emergencies for adults, children and infants; two-rescuer CPR; use of a resuscitation mask (pocket mask), and bag-valve mask. The course also familiarizes participants with the use of an Automated External Defibrillation (AED) device for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. This course is recommended for medical professionals, lifeguards, aerobics/fitness sports instructors and public and private safety security employees. American Red Cross CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer Certification is valid for one year.