National Lifeguard certification is Canada's professional lifeguard standard and is designed for lifesavers who wish to obtain a responsible job and leadership experience. Successful candidates are certified by the Lifesaving Society - Canada's lifeguarding experts.
National Lifeguard - Waterfront certification is designed to develop the fundamental values, judgment, knowledge, skills and fitness required by waterfront lifeguards. The National Lifeguard Waterfront course emphasizes the lifeguarding skills, principles and practices, and the decision-making processes that will assist the lifeguard to provide effective safety supervision in waterfront environments.
Prerequisites: Minimum 15 years of age. Bronze Cross certification and Lifesaving Society Standard First Aid (need not be current) or SFA from one of these approved agencies.
First aid prerequisite: When a candidate uses a first aid certification from an approved agency (other than the Lifesaving Society) as a prerequisite, a photocopy of the approved-agency certification card must accompany the Lifesaving Society test sheets. The Society will not issue the National Lifeguard award if this proof of prerequisite is missing. Affiliates are requested to notify National Lifeguard candidates of this requirement in their promotional materials and at registration locations.
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Instruction and certification: Current National Lifeguard Instructors (who hold National Lifeguard Waterfront) teach and evaluate most items, but only National Lifeguard Examiners (who hold National Lifeguard Waterfront) may certify candidates. The Lifesaving Society deems its certifications to be "current" for 24 months from the certification date.
Candidate recognition: National Lifeguard certification card.
Required reference material: Alert: Lifeguarding in Action. (Note that some affiliates provide materials to candidates, and some require candidates to purchase materials on their own. Double check before you purchase.)
National Lifeguard Recertification: To remain “current,” National Lifeguards successfully complete a National Lifeguard recertification exam. The only items evaluated on a National Lifeguard recertification examination are marked with a (†) symbol in the At-a-glance list of test items, on the test sheets and in the National Lifeguard Award Guide.
Test items
* Asterisk indicates instructor-evaluated item.
The † symbol denotes the only items evaluated during recertification. See “Evaluation” in National Lifeguard Certification, p. v.
1. * Lifeguarding theory and practice: Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and techniques of lifeguarding included in the National Lifeguard test items, and answer questions drawn from the Canadian Lifesaving Manual (CLM) and Alert: Lifeguarding in Action.
2. * Waterfront facility analysis: Demonstrate an understanding of:
- Features that vary from waterfront to waterfront (or from time to time) and how analysis of these affects lifeguarding
- Environmental hazards of a waterfront
3. * Rescue aid proficiency: Demonstrate proficiency in the use of buoyant and non-buoyant rescue aids appropriate for a variety of victim types in supervised waterfront environments.
4. * Entries and removals: Demonstrate three entries with a rescue aid and three removals appropriate for a waterfront environment.
5. * Skin diving skills: Demonstrate skin diving skills: Wearing mask, fins and snorkel, swim 5 metres at the surface; head-first surface dive and swim 15 metres underwater; surface, purge snorkel and swim 5 metres at the surface.
6. * Rescue drill: Demonstrate rescue skills using equipment: Approach 5 metres on the beach with a rescue aid and fins; enter the water, don fins; swim 50 metres.
7. *† Use of rescue craft: Demonstrate effective use of a rescue board or rescue craft: Approach 5 metres on the beach; enter the water with a rescue craft; pick up a victim 100 metres away and return to shore.
8.a *† Sprint challenge: Demonstrate anaerobic fitness: Starting in the water, swim 50 metres within 60 seconds.
8.b *† Endurance challenge: Demonstrate aerobic fitness and endurance: Swim 400 metres within 10 minutes.
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9. * Lifeguard communication: Demonstrate effective communication with patrons, victims, other lifeguards, supervisors and emergency service personnel.
10.a * Positioning and rotation: Demonstrate effective waterfront supervision using lifeguard positioning and rotation.
10.b *† Scanning and observation: Demonstrate effective lifeguard scanning techniques and observation skills in the waterfront environment.
10.c * Prevention and intervention: Demonstrate an ability to recognize situations in which early lifeguard intervention may prevent a rescue emergency.
11. * Missing person: Demonstrate an effective search of the waterfront for a missing person as both a member and a leader of a lifeguard team.
12.a *† Management of distressed or drowning victim: Demonstrate effective management of a distressed or drowning victim in deep water: Run 100 metres with a rescue aid; enter water and swim 100 metres to recover a conscious victim; tow or carry the victim 100 metres; provide appropriate follow-up treatment.
12.b *† Management of submerged, non-breathing victim: Demonstrate effective management of a submerged, non-breathing victim and perform 10 cycles of 2 ventilations:30 compressions on a CPR manikin.
12.c * Management of spinal-injured victims: With the assistance of one back-up lifeguard or assistant lifeguard and one bystander, demonstrate effective management of suspected spinal-injured victims (breathing and non-breathing) found in the water.
12.d *† Management of an injured victim: Demonstrate effective management of an injured victim on land or in the water.
13.a † Single lifeguard situation: As a single lifeguard, respond to a situation in a supervised aquatic setting with one auxiliary staff member.
13.b † Lifeguard team situations: As a member of a lifeguard team, respond to situations in a supervised aquatic setting.