Tag Archives: Lifeguard

Water safety depends on swimming, lifesaving skills

Posted on by
Reply

May 15 is International Water Safety Day

By Eilene E. Guy, American Red Cross Volunteer

Those of us who live in northern Ohio are never very far from water: Lake Erie, swimming pools, ponds, reservoirs and rivers. Even water parks, hot tubs and spas.

All that water offers lots of opportunities for fun, but it also poses a very real – sometimes tragic – hazard.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 4,000 people die of drowning every year in the United States. To put a finer point on it, drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death of children age 1 to 4.

The Bennett family of University Heights came harrowingly close to those statistics earlier this year. While on vacation, their four-year-old found her way into a backyard pool and was discovered unconscious at the bottom.

Fortunately, her 15-year-old sister, Ayala, had completed an American Red Cross lifeguarding, first aid and CPR course just two weeks earlier. She was able to perform CPR until medical help arrived and the little girl recovered.

Ayala Bennett, flanked by her father Josh and mother Raizel

For her lifesaving action, Ayala received the Red Cross Certificate of Merit, the highest award given by the Red Cross to people who save or sustain a life using skills learned in a Red Cross course. The Red Cross also recognized Shira Goldsmith of Goldsmith Swim School, who taught Ayala’s lifesaving class. “It made me feel so good, that she was able to save her sister,” Shira said. “It made me think, this is why I do what I do.”

Shira was just a teenager herself when she realized there weren’t enough lifeguards to safely supervise children in backyard pools in her neighborhood, so she got trained. “I did my first rescue at 15,” she recalled. She’ll never forget the rush of adrenaline and the overwhelming relief of success.

Shira Goldsmith, Goldsmith Swim School

Passionate about water safety, Shira teaches swimming as well as lifeguarding, first aid and CPR as a high school elective. She also has many students with special needs, African Americans and members of her Jewish faith.

“Even if you don’t know how to swim, learn CPR,” she emphasized. “You never know.”

The Red Cross certifies trainers like Shira as part of its mission to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

As we mark International Water Safety Day, the Red Cross offers these reminders:
 Learn to swim competently and be sure your children do too! Go to RedCross.org/TakeAClass
 Swim as a pair near a lifeguard’s chair. Never swim alone.
 Reach or throw, don’t go. Don’t enter the water to rescue someone unless you’re trained.
 Look before you leap. Be sure it’s a safe place and time to swim.
 Follow the rules. Listen to the lifeguards.
 Don’t just pack it. Wear that life jacket.
 Think so you don’t sink. Floating or treading water can help you make good decisions.
 Don’t fool with a pool or spa: Fence it with self-latching gates.
 Download the American Red Cross Swim app for more tips and tools for water safety for the whole family.

The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Water safety saves lives: How to stay safe this summer

Posted on by
Reply

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer. People head to local pools and beaches to splash and swim. Before hitting the water, be sure you’re water smart.

By Sam Pudelski, American Red Cross volunteer

Water safety goes beyond just the local swimming pool or lake—it includes rivers, backyard pools, kiddie pools, hot tubs, the ocean and even buckets. It only takes a moment for someone to drown—the time it takes to reply to a text, check the grill or apply sunscreen.

The Red Cross believes by working together to improve swimming skills, water smarts and helping others, countless lives can be saved. Make sure you, your family and loved ones:

  • Learn basic water skills so they can at least enter the water, get a breath, stay afloat, change position, swim a distance then get out of the water safely.
  • Employ layers of protection including barriers to prevent access to water, life jackets, and close supervision of children and weaker swimmers to prevent drowning.

Know what to do in a water emergency—including how to help someone in trouble in the water safely, call for emergency help and CPR.

Photo by Michael Del Polito/American Red Cross © Stock photo taken for the American Red Cross

A history of teaching lifesaving water skills

For over 100 years, the American Red Cross has been teaching people how to swim and training lifeguards through their swimming and water safety programs. The Red Cross was part of the initial effort to train people in the early 1900s when the number of people drowning was on the verge of becoming a national crisis. Many people did not know how to swim and did not have the tools or knowledge we have today about water safety. The effort was led by Wilbert E. Longfellow, a young newspaper reporter, who partnered with the Red Cross to launch a nationwide movement that resulted in a reduction of drowning deaths and allowed more people to enjoy the water safely. Since the program launch in 1914, the Red Cross has taught millions swimming and lifesaving skills.

Photo by Michael Del Polito/American Red Cross © Stock photo taken for the American Red Cross

Lifeguard training

The Red Cross also teaches lifeguard classes for certification and recertification. Courses include lifeguarding, aquatic instructor training, safety training and more.

“The most important thing that we teach in American Red Cross lifeguard classes is not the rescue skills when responding to an emergency, but the ability to recognize potential emergencies before they occur and enabling the lifeguards to prevent them,” said Phillip Hearne, aquatics director at the Hillcrest Family YMCA, where he teaches Red Cross lifeguarding classes. “The most important job of a lifeguard is prevention.”

Watch this video testimonial from Red Cross-trained lifeguards who are employed by the YMCA.

Lifeguard classes enable pools and lakes across Northern Ohio to be safer for their patrons by training the lifeguards that station these areas. They teach lifeguards vital preparation, how to respond to emergencies in a quick manner, as well as how to prevent drownings and injuries.

Whether you are looking for a summer job or are looking for a water safety/swimming class, the Red Cross trains individuals right here in Northern Ohio. Visit redcross.org for more information and to find an upcoming class. And don’t forget to stay safe this summer!

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Be Water Smart

Posted on by
Reply

It’s International Water Safety Day

By Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross Volunteer

May 15 is International Water Safety Day. The day is designed to spread awareness about drowning and promote water safety education. It is a timely reminder as summer approaches.

Diversity_in_Aquatics_Logo_Placeholder

Summertime brings warmer weather and outdoor fun. Children splash in community pools and water parks, families head to beaches and shorelines to enjoy boating, fishing and water sports, or travel to vacation destinations.

The water invites us to cool off and be carefree. Yet, every day, an average of 10 people die in the United States from unintentional drowning. And 1 in 5 of them are children 14 or younger, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Based on an American Red Cross survey, more than half of all Americans (54 percent) either can’t swim or don’t have all the basic swimming skills. The Red Cross recommends that everyone learn critical water safety skills, also known as “water competency.” To download water safety tip sheets, visit RedCross.org/watersafety. 

Centennial Campaign: Helping Save Lives

In May 2014, the Red Cross launched its Centennial Campaign to mark 100 years of swimming safety education in the United States. This five-year campaign is aimed at reducing drowning in 50 communities where drowning rates exceed the national average. Since the Centennial Campaign launch, children and adults have participated in more than 41,340 sets of swim lessons.

Take Steps to Stay Safe

The Red Cross is asking every family to make sure that both adults and children can swim—and that parents make water safety a priority this summer. To find water orientation and Learn-to-Swim programs for you and your family, contact your local aquatic center and ask for American Red Cross swimming and water safety programs. Or visit RedCross.org/TakeAClass/swimming.

Do your part, be water smart. Then jump in, make some waves and have fun this summer!