So I was thinking of helping out as a life guard at the local Y. My swimming background is from triathlons, and I really don’t do any other strokes than the front crawl. I will need to get certified and looking at the swim test there’s a requirement to retrieve a brick, hold it with two hands, and kick to the end of the pool. Seems reasonable as you may have to pull someone who’s in trouble out of the pool. My question for those who are life guards is if I have a chance of passing the test requirements if the only swimming I do is laps. Any other comments on getting certified are appreciated.
been awhile… but yes. The important part is what when and how to help someone anyways. Front crawl is all you need because you are not supposed to take your eye off the victim anyhow when swimming to them. All the training was endurance related… front crawl/ side strock stuff.
Are you certain the Y uses the Red Cross Certification? Back when I certified in 04 the Y had their own program. Not sure if they have gone over to the Red Cross now
You should be fine. It has been a while for me too but as I recall, a decent chunk of the in the water stuff revolved around how not to get drowned by the person you are saving rather than any epic swimming action. Some background in wrestling would have been more useful than more swimming skills 
Once you get control of someone, it is not nearly as hard to drag them to shore or the pool edge as it might look.
If you were going to work on anything before the class, work on side stroke and a rudimentary breast stroke. Also get comfortable treading water. All are easy but they are things you might not have done much, if at all, if all you do is swim laps.
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100yd front crawl, 100 breast, 100 free - non stop
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dive and retrieve brick, bring brick back backwards
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tread water 2 min no arms
I agree above, wrestling should be taught! I had an incident with kids in summer puling me down
I don’t work as a life guard, but I’m certified locally so I can work swim meets. Not sure what state you are in, or what rules apply across states, but here:
You have to have taken and passed a locally provided 8 hour life guard course. CPR, basic first aid, deck safety, water entry, and in the water hand to hand combat, for lack of a better term.
The test is swim 50 meters any stroke in under 50 seconds (you can dive off the blocks for this), stop and tread water for 2 minutes no hands (and you are not allowed to back float), dive down to retrieve a pool brick, then swim 25 meters and place the brick on the deck (no time limit to bring the brick to the deck, but you have to dive after it immediately and once you dive for it you have to retrieve it or you fail).
The pool I test in is 13 feet deep, and that is what usually gets the adults. You have to get to the brick from the water surface, not diving off the pool deck. Swimming to the deck is easier than you might think if you’ve seen it done. Ask the life guards at your pool for the brick to practice and let them show you how to swim with it. You essentially hold the brick on your chest while kicking on your back. Once in a while you will see someone try to hold it in front of them. That does not end well.
I see no reason why a reasonably fit triathlete who is not afraid of an open water swim without a wet suit couldn’t pass the test with the right prep. I’ve seen one person fail in the last 3 cycles and she worked at a day care that had a 2.5 foot deep pool. She couldn’t retrieve the brick.
I don’t work as a life guard, but I’m certified locally so I can work swim meets. Not sure what state you are in, or what rules apply across states, but here:
You have to have taken and passed a locally provided 8 hour life guard course. CPR, basic first aid, deck safety, water entry, and in the water hand to hand combat, for lack of a better term.
The test is swim 50 meters any stroke in under 50 seconds (you can dive off the blocks for this), stop and tread water for 2 minutes no hands (and you are not allowed to back float), dive down to retrieve a pool brick, then swim 25 meters and place the brick on the deck (no time limit to bring the brick to the deck, but you have to dive after it immediately and once you dive for it you have to retrieve it or you fail).
The pool I test in is 13 feet deep, and that is what usually gets the adults. You have to get to the brick from the water surface, not diving off the pool deck. Swimming to the deck is easier than you might think if you’ve seen it done. Ask the life guards at your pool for the brick to practice and let them show you how to swim with it. You essentially hold the brick on your chest while kicking on your back. Once in a while you will see someone try to hold it in front of them. That does not end well.
I see no reason why a reasonably fit triathlete who is not afraid of an open water swim without a wet suit couldn’t pass the test with the right prep. I’ve seen one person fail in the last 3 cycles and she worked at a day care that had a 2.5 foot deep pool. She couldn’t retrieve the brick.
I’m getting a new awareness and a very healthy respect for life guards!
I don’t know if the standards have changed, but when I got certified 20 years ago we had to swim 500 yards under a certain time (maybe 8:00). I also remember having to tread water and hold up a brick for a few minutes. Treading water may be harder to some people than the swim. As former competitive swimmer and water polo player those were not an issue for me. Back then I could egg beater with no hands for a long time.
You may also have to pass a swim test as part of your life guarding interview. The pool I worked at for many years required a 500 yard swim under a certain time.
Its tough to guess if you could pass the swim test without any provided times. If you provide some swim times from a few races, or from training we can better assess your swimming ability.
I am a lifeguard instructor so I oversee the tests at my pool. I have seen people with little swim experience pass through the certification.
The test generally consist of 300yrd swim, 2 minutes of treading water and the brick test. The test is common sense and basic CPR knowledge. you should learn everything you need to know in the class. I would practice treading water with arms out of the water with hands placed on your head or under your armpits.
The swim test is to weed out the people who sign up to be a lifeguard when they cant swim… Yes, It has happened.
I did mine at Boy Scout summer camp at the age of about 52. We did it in a lake. Had to swim 700 yards within a time limit. The brick test was tough…trying to find it on the bottom of the lake in 12 feet of water…only had a small float attached to help find it. Think about finding a body on the bottom. The lost swimmer drill was the toughest. Had to constantly dive to 12 feet deep sweep the bottom for about 5 feet, then straight up and do it again about 10 times in a row. We practiced the escape move when your partner did a bear hug from behind you. My partner was much bigger than me. He dragged me down to the bottom of the lake. I had to keep my cool and pry his arms open. If you do it right, it can be done. Good thing I can hold my breath a long time.
We spent a ton of time on extraction out of the water (assuming a neck injury,) first aid and CPR.
To be honest, after doing the 700 yard swim there really wasn’t much actual swimming. It was all techniques and learning reach, throw, row in that order and then go was only the last resort.
Always remember that rule #1 is to not become victim #2.
The pool I test in is 13 feet deep, and that is what usually gets the adults.
I was a competitive swimmer when I got my lifesaving certificate but all the skills I used to get through the class I’d mastered by the age of 10 from goofing around in the pool. Pom Pom, breath holding contests, random trips to the bottom of the diving well just to go there and endless wrestling matches were way more meaningful “training” than logging yards in swim practice. Once I became a lifeguard, all the cleaning and trash hauling skills my mom had made me master around the house were put to use way more than anything I learned in the lifesaving class
our test was run swim run…(as lifeguards)
1/4 mile beach run(on the soft stuff)…same open water ocean swim(need to go pass breakers) and then beach run back. Ofcourse timed but that more for measuring penises between the guards.