APPENDIX ALifeguardshis annex draws upon the extensive experience of t - PDF document

APPENDIX ALifeguardshis annex draws upon the extensive experience of the International Life Savingand comments received during the preparation of these Guide-lines. It relates to people who are trained and positioned at recreational water sitesto protect water users and who may be paid or voluntary. They may be referred toas lifesavers, lifeguards or given some other title. For simplicity, the term lifeguardhas been used throughout this annex. The following sections outline points for con-sideration when setting up or running a lifeguarding scheme.A.1Lifeguard qualificationsLifeguards are generally responsible for observation of a beach or recreational waterarea to anticipate problems and identify an emergency quickly, carry out rescues, giveimmediate Þrst aid, communicate with swimmers and recreational water users,enforce regulations where appropriate, promote awareness of speciÞc and generalhazards and report incidents.Lifeguards should have appropriate training and hold a suitable current qualiÞca-tion. This would normally be from an appropriate and recognized training and assess-ment agent. Lifeguards should, for example, be competent in lifesaving methods,swimming and the most current methods of resuscitation. RequaliÞcation should beundertaken at regular intervals, and practical rescue and resuscitation skills should bepractised frequently. Both Þtness and technical knowledge are required. Good prac-tice would generally require that records be kept of all training and qualiÞcations andbe available for inspection.Lifeguards should have locally-speciÞc knowledge concerning the presence ofnatural and artiÞcial features, the topography of the area, tides and currents, hazardsposed by local animals, the distance to qualiÞed medical assistance, hazards and risks,public relations, crowd management and local operating procedures.inimum standards for the training of lifeguards have been proposed(http://www.ilsf.org).A.2Lifeguard observation pointsLifeguard observation points must have a clear and unobstructed view of the area ofsupervision, including both the water and the beach. Lifeguard observation points The ILS is a non-proÞt confederation of major national lifesaving federations worldwide. are ideally elevated (the higher the better, within reason) and provide the lifeguardwith protection from the elements. These are often referred to as lifeguard ÒtowersÓ.They should provide adequate space to allow the lifeguard to stand and move whileobserving the water and a place for necessary rescue and Þrst aid equipment. Thedesign of a lifeguard observation point should include a way to respond on foot toa rescue without breaking observation of a swimmer in distress.Lifeguard observation points should be placed to allow observation of the areaunder control. At coastal recreation areas, they should be placed as close to the wateredge as practical at high tide and may be moved at intervals with the changing tide,so that they will be close to the water edge at all tidal stages. Where a beach is divideda jetty or other obstacle to clear observation, each part should ideally be inde-pendently observed.A.3Lifeguarding equipmentLifeguards on duty should be easily identiÞable at a distance, in a manner that setsthem apart from others at the beach, such as by a uniform. To properly perform theirduties, lifeguards require appropriate rescue equipment. The most basic rescue deviceis a rescue ßoat. The most common of these are tubes of ßexible closed-cell foamubber and buoys of hard plastic. Other examples of basic lifesaving equipment arethe rescue board (a surfboard adapted for rescue), binoculars and swim Þns. Life-guards are frequently involved in Þrst aid and need to be appropriately equipped forthis work. Lifeguards are often be provided with a telephone or radio for communi-cation. As record keeping is necessary, report forms should normally be provided.advanced rescue equipment can be useful. Rescue craft have proven effec-tive in offshore rescue of swimmers, boaters and others. While costly, they receive ahigh degree of public support. They are most frequently deployed in areas of denseuse or particular hazard. For effective use of rescue craft, good communication linkedto rapid deployment is important. In some cases, the provision of a motor vehiclemay also be appropriate.All equipment should be inspected frequently and replaced or repaired as necessary.A.4Lifeguarding policiesLifeguard organizations should develop written Òstandard operating proceduresÓ.details on risk assessment, a plan of the recreational water (outlining hazards, accesspoints, vantage points and blind spots, information points, zones, positioning ofpublic rescue equipment and protective features), supervision requirements (e.g., life-guard provision, rotation systems, qualiÞcation, surveillance levels and daily routines)and the duties of other recreational water staff.An Òemergency action planÓ should be formulated to guide lifeguards in handlingemergencies that can be reasonably anticipated. It should provide step-by-step pro-cedures for each member of the team: rescue management, continuity of supervision APPENDIX A.LIFEGUARDS during rescue, communication procedures during an incident (both within the teamand with external agencies), aftercare and peer support.Lifeguard levels of performance should be established and incorporated within theA.5Lifeguard duty periodLifeguard supervision should be maintained during times of signiÞcant use. SufÞ-cient regular breaks should be incorporated into duty periods. When on duty, life-guards should not perform other tasks that might detract from observation.arning signs should be posted if lifeguard service is interrupted, and the begin-A.6Lifeguard staffing levelsLifeguard stafÞng levels should be appropriate to the use of the area of responsibil-ity and provide for public safety in a manner consistent to ensure safety. Responsi-bility should not be left with a single individual. Lifeguards work more effectively inteams. These teams should ideally be managed through a central administrationcapable of providing necessary relief, backup and resources.wo primary factors inßuence the stafÞng level needs for lifeguards: attendanceand risk. Attendance typically varies according to season, day of the week, weatherand other factors. Risk can vary according to surf, rip current intensity (which isusually directly related to surf), wind (which may enhance surf size), water temper-ature and other factors. The number of lifeguards stafÞng a beach area should be ade-quate, regardless of ßuctuations in attendance and risks. The provider of lifeguardprotection must therefore either adopt a system to effectively vary stafÞng accordingto ßuctuations or set a consistent stafÞng level aimed at the highest levels of atten-dance and risk. Most lifeguard providers address this via a mix of the two. That is,they set regular stafÞng levels somewhat below the level needed to address the highestlevels of risk and attendance, but somewhat above the average levels. Then, theydevelop a system to enhance stafÞng levels when unexpected crowds and/or riskspresent themselves. Varying stafÞng levels by day of the week is also common in areaswhere attendance ßuctuates predictably.eople in distress in the water rarely wave or call for help, being panicked andoccupied in trying to keep themselves aßoat, and even nearby swimmers are oftenunaware of the problem. Thus, lifeguard vigilance is of key importance. It is a tremen-swimmers for extended periods of time. Training may help, but does not eliminatenormal human reactions to boredom. Regular breaks are therefore important andmay also be necessitated by the environment in which lifeguards operate, which maybe hot and/or windy. Lifeguards must consume generous quantities of ßuid to preventdehydration and assist with concentration. Breaks allow for simple human needsalong with relief from prolonged periods of scanning and physical inactivity. GUIDELINES FOR SAFE RECREATIONAL WATER ENVIRONMENTS A.7ReferencesThe United States Lifesaving Association Manual of Open Water Life-. Huntington Beach, California, Prentice Hall.wster BC, Williams D (2001) quatic safety assessment and recommendationsÑBay County,. Bay County, Florida.cCloy JM, Dodson JA, ed. (1980) uidelines for establishing open-water recreational beachstandards, proceedings of a conference. alvaston, Texas, Texas A&M University Sea GrantCollege Program. APPENDIX A.LIFEGUARDS