Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I'm a re-certified Red Cross Lifeguard

This last month I've been going to classes and getting re-certified as a Red Cross Lifeguard.  The Red Cross has sure simplified things.   They took out several things:

  • No more removal from the water from the deep end without a backboard.
  • No more timed swimming or treading with a 10 pound brick.  
  • One thing that was added since my youth is AED's.  Very cool that we now have an advantage in getting victims of cardiac arrest a chance.  I remember a case where an old guy died in the hot tubs and the ambulance drove off just as I pulled into the parking lot.  My peer spent a good 15 minutes doing CPR before EMS got there and he had no signs of life at all.  Sounds like AED's when used early on, could actually result in a better chance at survival.
  • No more "fighting escapes".  We used to learn how to push a victim away when they come at you.  Instead, you just learn how to STD (Suck, Tuck and Duck).  
  • No more turning passive victim over using a one handed wrist turn.  
  • Back in the day we used paddleboards and learning how to get victims loaded up on the boards and then swim them to safety.  Which makes me wonder why we even learned that as pool lifeguards.  So that is one skill I'm glad the Red Cross got rid of. 
  • Old timers also did stuff with fins and snorkels to simulate underwater searches which was dumb for pool lifeguards.  So I'm glad they separated that out for a different type of certification. 
  • We also did ALOT more with poles and ropes and reaching assists.  Today's Lifeguard just learns to toss a ring buoy and they didn't have us practice using a shepherd's crook.  
  • Simpler, and less to remember.
I passed the written and practical tests pretty easily.  When I finished it was 7pm so I swam for an hour since I was there and didn't swim this morning.  I found out that I am still behind Nicole Vanderpoel by 25K.  So it is CRUNCH TIME.  I have a plan to really sprint to the finish.  So I'll putting in some major yards then next couple weeks.  I should be done by next Saturday.  Here's today's swim:

2000 yards free  (28:20)
2000 yards pull

4000 yards total

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