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I read the article, and then I read the link within the article that your link is supposedly based on, and they're not saying that they're going to hire under qualified life guards--the goal is to strengthen the swimming skills of kids in the inner city so that they can get into a life guard training and certification program to begin with. I'm not sure how that got translated into the article you linked to. Here's the link.
My two oldest boys work as life guards at our local pool during the summer. You HAVE to be certified to work, and the certification requirements are standard. Before you can even begin life guard training, you have to pass a swimming pre-test that shows that you're a strong swimmer with specific skills. Kids who haven't had advanced swim lessons may not have rotary breathing skills, they may not kick effectively, or know how to dive, etc. The scholarships are to bring kids up to speed on THOSE skills so they can meet the criteria to take the life guard training to gain certification. It makes sense to me that kids from affluent areas are more likely to continue on with swimming lessons to gain those skills, vs. kids from poorer areas--most poorer areas don't offer a summer swim team, where most kids gain those skills.
Once again--this is much fuss about absolutely nothing. No one is hiring non-certified life guards!
Thank You!
OPs linkwas TERRIBLE and simply written to cause another daily faux-rage. No actual quotes from a city official just basically lies and conjecture plus a tagged-on piece about Obama.
It's april 1...pools dont usually open untill school lets out in may.
8 weeks, 3 times a week...24 lessons. If they dont show ability, they are not forced to make them lifegaurds.
How many lessons would be required for those who are already trained and certified? What would it cost the city to hire those who already got the training (at their own expense)?
Can't swim don't worry Pheonix wants you to be a lifeguard
Only in a world run by complete and utter lunatics is this happening. Guy is scared of the water but he's the right race so he'll be saving your little tikes if you dare venture to the public pool in Pheonix this summer. I'm sure when somebody drowns because this guy is scared to jump in it will be Bush's fault.
"To help diversify its lifeguard ranks, the city raised about $15,000 over the past two years in scholarships to offset the cost of lifeguard-certification courses. Recruits who pass a swim test at the end can apply to be city lifeguards. As the teens swim laps at Alhambra, it's clear many haven't had much formal training. But the coaches of the course aren't fazed and are prepared to put in the time to teach.
"Honestly, I have a little bit a fear of the water, and I wanted to overcome that fear," says high school junior Jesus Jimenez. He didn't grow up going to pools with his family but likes the idea of lifeguarding.
"It is nice to have the satisfaction of knowing that if somebody is in trouble you can save them at any time," he says.
If he is selected to be a lifeguard, other pool staff will work with him on his swimming skills all summer."
Only in a world run by complete and utter lunatics is this happening. Guy is scared of the water but he's the right race so he'll be saving your little tikes if you dare venture to the public pool in Pheonix this summer. I'm sure when somebody drowns because this guy is scared to jump in it will be Bush's fault.
"To help diversify its lifeguard ranks, the city raised about $15,000 over the past two years in scholarships to offset the cost of lifeguard-certification courses. Recruits who pass a swim test at the end can apply to be city lifeguards. As the teens swim laps at Alhambra, it's clear many haven't had much formal training. But the coaches of the course aren't fazed and are prepared to put in the time to teach.
"Honestly, I have a little bit a fear of the water, and I wanted to overcome that fear," says high school junior Jesus Jimenez. He didn't grow up going to pools with his family but likes the idea of lifeguarding.
"It is nice to have the satisfaction of knowing that if somebody is in trouble you can save them at any time," he says.
If he is selected to be a lifeguard, other pool staff will work with him on his swimming skills all summer."
Only if he passes the swimming pre-test required to be admitted to life guard training to begin with. If he's afraid of the water now, he'll have to be long over that and be a pretty expert swimmer before he's even accepted to lifeguard training--you have to give the kid credit for trying. That's all that they're trying to do--strengthen the swimming skills of local kids so they qualify to move on to life guard training.
To even get IN to a life guard certification program, you first have to pass a swimming pretest. You have to be proficient in strokes like the front crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and be able to dive and swim under water. You have to be able to do rotary/rhythmic breathing, and be able to swim distances comfortably.
The pretests are pretty standard across the country. I pulled up what my kids had to do to get in to a certification training--you have to swim 300 yards continuously demonstrating breath control and rhythmic breathing. Then you have to tread water for 2 min. using ONLY the legs. After that, you have to complete a timed event within 1 min. & 40 sec.: Starting in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7-10 feet to retrieve a 10 pound brick, return to the surface & swim 20 yards on their back to return to the starting point with both hands holding the brick at all times. After that, they have to exit the water without using a ladder or steps.
If you don't pass, you don't get to go on to take the training.
How many lessons would be required for those who are already trained and certified? What would it cost the city to hire those who already got the training (at their own expense)?
I don't know how it works everywhere, but out here kids usually don't pay for lessons to gain the skills needed for the pre-test to take life guard certification--they usually get it for free by joining a local community swim team. That's how you move beyond the kiddie lessons that young children take. If you read the link, it says that the community in question did local fundraising to pay for the swimming lessons to bring kids up to speed for the swimming pre-test because they don't have a community swim team. This isn't being paid for with tax dollars.
The OP was specifically discussing lifeguards for Phoenix swimming pools. Lifeguard candidates do not have to be expert swimmers. They have to be decent swimmers. Most lifeguard courses are taught by Red Cross certified Lifeguard Instructors, and the course is nationally standardized and nationally recognized. Half way down the page in the link are the standards for the lifeguard pre-course. Red Cross has been lowering the standards for many years, and right now (although there are other skills they need to demonstrate during the precourse) the basic distance candidates have to cover without stopping is 300 yards.
The kids don't have to be excellent swimmers - they have to be able to cover the distances in the precourse, and that's all. Technique does not have to be perfect. It only has to be recognizable as a specfiic stroke (front crawl or breast stroke).
Once they pass precourse, students learn all of the skills they need in order to become a nationally recognized and certified lifeguard. Those skills include entrances, specific rescues for specific emergencies, exits, emergency procedures, identification of different levels of distress of swimmers, first aid, CPR and AED, and more. First aid, CPR and AED certifications need to be re-upped every year. Lifeguard certification needs to be re-upped every three years.
Lifeguards receive extensive initial training, and on-going and regular in-services to maintain skills. They are often (depending on the facility and the supervisors) required to swim regularly to maintain swimming skills and endurance. All swim training, inservices, and certifications are kept on record for every lifeguard. If the facility has it's sh*t together.
I used to be an Aquatics Director.
BTW: the standards are different for lakefront or ocean lifeguards.
Do you realize that they never said that they could not swim but needed additional trainning. Beleive it or not folks in the Navy and even the SEAL teams are taught to be stronger swimmers and not teach them how to swim. I believe that this is the case here.
The OP was specifically discussing lifeguards for Phoenix swimming pools. Lifeguard candidates do not have to be expert swimmers. They have to be decent swimmers. Most lifeguard courses are taught by Red Cross certified Lifeguard Instructors, and the course is nationally standardized and nationally recognized. Half way down the page in the link are the standards for the lifeguard pre-course. Red Cross has been lowering the standards for many years, and right now (although there are other skills they need to demonstrate during the precourse) the basic distance candidates have to cover without stopping is 300 yards.
The kids don't have to be excellent swimmers - they have to be able to cover the distances in the precourse, and that's all. Technique does not have to be perfect. It only has to be recognizable as a specfiic stroke (front crawl or breast stroke).
Once they pass precourse, students learn all of the skills they need in order to become a nationally recognized and certified lifeguard. Those skills include entrances, specific rescues for specific emergencies, exits, emergency procedures, identification of different levels of distress of swimmers, first aid, CPR and AED, and more. First aid, CPR and AED certifications need to be re-upped every year. Lifeguard certification needs to be re-upped every three years.
Lifeguards receive extensive initial training, and on-going and regular in-services to maintain skills. They are often (depending on the facility and the supervisors) required to swim regularly to maintain swimming skills and endurance. All swim training, inservices, and certifications are kept on record for every lifeguard. If the facility has it's sh*t together.
I used to be an Aquatics Director.
BTW: the standards are different for lakefront or ocean lifeguards.
Thanks for explaining this to the lowinformational reader
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Can't swim don't worry Pheonix wants you to be a lifeguard
