Lifeguard Recertification Class

It's been a while since you've been a lifeguard or have taken your lifeguarding course. Maybe you were a lifeguard for the summer, or maybe it's something that you're truly passionate about. Whatever you did it for before, you know you want to do it again now.

But wait? Are you still certified? Can you remember the proper skills and training? Do you need to brush up on your First Aid and CPR?

All certification courses have an expiry date, which is why we have lifeguard recertification courses, to make sure that before you get back in the water, you know exactly how to recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies.

If you want to become a lifeguard again, then a re-certification course is just the thing you need to get back in the water, and make sure that you get the necessary lifeguard training to help save lives.

But what do you need to do in order to complete a lifeguard recertification course?

Well if you're unsure, then this is for you! We'll take you through the necessary prerequisites, what your lifeguard training entails, and what your certification includes, to make sure you get back in the water as fast as you can.

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Lifeguarding Refresher Courses and Do I need to update my Lifeguarding Certification?

Absolutely! Everything gets better with practice, and when considering the importance of being a lifeguard, updating your lifeguard certification is one of the best things you can do.

Lifeguarding isn't just sitting on a high chair and swimming around, there's a lot more to it! From that all-important First Aid to CPR and breath control, updating your lifeguard certification makes sure you'll have the skills you need to be a professional rescuer. You'll re-learn what you need to do in order to properly respond to aquatic emergencies.

And you might be thinking, but I've already covered this when I got my certification the first time! That's true, a lot of what lifeguard recertification courses entail is to make sure you remember exactly what you have to do before you even get into the water for that all-important rescue.

However, the knowledge and techniques that come with effective lifeguarding are always being updated, and so taking one of these classes helps you to stay at your best.

What do Refresher Courses include?

A re-certification course is only for those who already have a lifeguard certificate, and the prerequisites for a re-certification course are as follows:

  • You have to currently hold American Aquatics and Safety Training lifeguard training certification
You also have to have completed the skills test, which includes:
  • Being able to swim 300 yards continuously - either using front crawl or breaststroke.
  • To be able to tread water for 2 minutes - using only your legs.
And to have completed a 1 minute and 40 seconds exercise, which includes:
  • To be able to complete a surface dive - American Aquatics and Safety Training lifeguarding allows a head first or feet first dive.
  • To then swim 7 to 10 feet down, retrieve a 10 pound weight and swim 20 yards back to the edge of the pool using legs only, whilst holding the weight.
  • To be able to exit the pool without a ladder whilst holding the weight - within the time frame.

If you have completed these prerequisites, you can then begin to complete registration for the refresher course. (Please note that you will have to attach your current American Aquatics and Safety Training-certification to the registration form when applying for this.)

In this course, your classes will help you to develop your knowledge of lifeguarding including, but not limited to, being able to recognize an aquatic emergency, how to appropriately respond to that emergency, and also how to be able to prevent such an emergency happening in the future.

Once successfully complete, the certification includes for all participants American Aquatics and Safety Training lifeguarding, First Aid, CPR/AED for the professional rescuer; making sure that you are ready to begin saving lives again.

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Why are Refresher Courses important?

Lifeguard refresher courses are very important because they allow you to keep up to date on all the developments within lifeguarding. Lifeguard certifications only last for 2 years, which allows for techniques to be updated and for new techniques to be founded during this time. Therefore, it is important to stay on top of this.

By taking a recertification course, it provides you with all you need to know about water safety, including other important techniques such as rhythmic breathing during CPR, First Aid, and even breath control. Knowing these techniques allows you to better protect yourself and others.

Not only is it a requirement, but it also shows that you're serious about lifeguarding.

When your initial American Aquatics and Safety Training lifeguard certificate expires, you can take a review course within 30 days, to make sure that it gets renewed. If you don't take a review course in this time, then you'll have to take the original American Aquatics and Safety Training course all over again.

So, when it comes to being a lifeguard, it's best to be on the ball, and more importantly, adequately prepared.

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