If you are hired by the Foothills Area YMCA, all course fees will be waived!

Meeting Times:

• Wednesday 5pm-8:30pm
• Saturday 8am-6pm
• Sunday 8am-5pm

There will be breaks throughout the sessions. Pack food and water accordingly. These times may be shortened depending on the pace of the class.

Additional Course Information

This course is for people ages 15 and up, looking to be certified as a lifeguard for the first time. 6-7 hours of online training is required to be completed before attending the in-person class session. Instructions and a link for online training will be sent out in advance.

Course Overview

Upon the successful completion of the Lifeguarding course, each participant will receive an American Red Cross certificate for Lifeguarding/First-Aid/CPR/AED with Bloodborne Pathogens Training, which is valid for 2 years.

Course prerequisites

1. Candidates must be 15 years of age by the end of the lifeguard course. A government-issued ID is required to provide proof of age.

2. Must successfully demonstrate the following skills on the first day of class:

Swim, Tread, Swim;

• Jump into the water from the side, totally submerge, recover to
  the surface and swim 150 yards.
• After swimming 150 yards, maintain position at the surface of the
  water without support for 2 minutes by treading.
• After maintaining position at the surface of the water for
  2 minutes, swim 50 more yards.
• While swimming, you must swim continuously, keeping your face in
  the water and demonstrating good breath control.
• You may use the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both.
  Swimming on the back or side is not permitted.
• Swim goggles are allowed.

Brick retrieval within 1 minute, 40 seconds:

• Goggles are not allowed for the timed event.
• Starting in the water, swim 20 yards. Your face may be in or out of
  the water.
• Surface dive (feet-first or head-first) to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to
  retrieve a 10-pound object.
•  Return to the surface and swim 20 yards on your back to return
  to the starting point, holding the object at the surface with both
  hands and keeping your face at or near the surface. Swimming
  the distance underwater is not permitted.
• Exit the water without using a ladder or the steps.

Please note that we cannot issue a refund or certify you in lifeguarding if you are unable to demonstrate the skills above.

Course requirements

1. Attendance to all classes is mandatory. If the participant cannot make all class times, the participant does not pass the course. There are no exceptions and no refunds. You may receive a 50% refund if you give at least 10 days of notice that you will not be able to attend the course to allow us time to fill the spot. Please double-check the dates and times before registration.

2. Active participation in all class sessions.

3. Demonstrate competency in all required skills, including prerequisite swim skills.

4. Must demonstrate the necessary maturity and professionalism required of a lifeguard.

5. Demonstrate competency in all final scenarios.

6. Correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions in each of the two sections of the final written exam.