As a lifeguard, keeping your certification up to date and valid is essential to performing your job safely and effectively. The American Lifeguard Association (ALA) recommends renewing your certification every 2-3 years to keep your lifeguarding skills sharp and ensure you have the latest training. Let’s break down the certification renewal process and timeline in more detail.
Lifeguard Course Recertification Frequency
The American Lifeguard Association standards state that lifeguards should plan to renew their lifeguard certification every 2-3 years. Even if your certification is valid for longer, the ALA suggests refreshing your skills and knowledge no less than every 2 years. Here are some key points on certification renewal frequency:
- Initial certifications are usually valid for 2-3 years after completing a lifeguard course.
- After the initial certification expires, lifeguards need to complete a recertification course to maintain active status.
- Recertification training is less intensive than the initial course but still important for reviewing skills and updates.
- Certification renewal should occur before the expiration date printed on your CPR/AED/First Aid/Lifeguarding card(s).
- Having an expired certification puts you at risk of not being allowed to lifeguard until renewal, which is important for job and liability purposes.
By renewing your certification according to ALA guidelines, you can rest assured your training remains relevant and you’ll stay current on any policy or procedural changes. Staying recertified also makes it easy to maintain consistent employment opportunities at pools, beaches, and aquatic facilities nationwide that require valid certification.
Important Skills to Review During Recertification
During your lifeguard recertification course with the ALA, instructors will review important lifesaving skills that are critical for lifeguards to maintain competency in. Some of the key skills and knowledge areas recertification focuses on include:
- CPR/AED/First Aid: Refresh CPR and first aid response skills, including updates to procedures and protocols. Practice rescue breathing, compressions, use of an AED, and first aid for various injuries.
- Scanning Techniques: Review proper head-to-toe surveillance scanning techniques to prevent lapses in awareness and oversight of patrons. Practice effective scanning in various environments like pools and open water.
- Rescues: Practice and demonstrate essential rescue skills like front and back carries, extrications, extrication with a backboard, spinal injury management, etc. Perfect rescue form and technique.
- Policy Review: Go over any updated facility procedures, emergency action plans, incident reporting policies, and scope of practice based on your recertifying agency and locations you may lifeguard at.
- Water Skills: For lifeguards serving aquatic facilities with depths over 5 feet, demonstration of strong swimming ability and surface dives may be required as part of recertification training.
- By actively practicing these core skills that can decay without use, lifeguards ensure they are refreshed and ready to perform important rescues and respond to emergencies with confidence if and when necessary. Recertification reinforces safe, effective practices in the water and on the job.
How to Prepare for Recertification
To best prepare for your upcoming recertification training and course, the ALA recommends:
- Stay Physically Active: Continue exercising regularly and practicing your swimming to maintain endurance, strength, and comfort in the water. Prepare your body for an active job.
- Review Your Materials: Prior to class, review your CPR/AED/First Aid, lifeguard, and safety handbooks to refresh on protocols, skills, and information tested on. Make notes of any weak areas.
- Practice Key Skills: Leading up to recertification, practice scanning techniques, in-water rescues, spinal injuries management, and other high-priority skills you’ll demo and be tested on. Video yourself to self-assess form.
- Schedule Ahead: Sign up for a recertification class with the ALA several months prior to your expiration. Spots book quickly and you don’t want to risk letting your certification lapse.
- Ask Questions: If you have any uncertainties, reach out to your certifying agency or instructor ahead of time to ensure you understand all requirements and feel fully prepared before test day.
- Following these preparation strategies will help you confidently pass your recertification evaluation, maintaining compliance and continuing your career as a ready, qualified lifeguard. Staying current benefits not only your job but the safety of those you oversee every day.
Maintaining a Culture of Safety
Lifesaving is a high-risk job where even brief lapses in training can have serious consequences. That’s why the American Lifeguard Association believes strongly in promoting a continuous culture of education, evaluation, and improvement for all lifeguards. By renewing certifications according to guidelines and keeping skills honed, lifeguards better ensure public safety at pools, waterparks, lakes, and beaches across the country.
Recertification training also allows lifeguards to network, problem-solve with peers, and discover ever-evolving techniques and safety measures. It’s an opportunity for growth both individually and for the profession at large. Ongoing certification promotes vigilance that has arguably helped reduce drowning rates nationwide over time.
In Summary
Make maintaining your active certification a priority through renewal every 2-3 years. It upholds the highest defense against injury or worse for those reliant on lifeguards to monitor hazardous aquatic facilities. Certification renewal represents lifeguards’ shared commitment to protecting swimmers and enhancing water safety for all.