Lifeguard Flashcards
EAP
Emergency Action Plan
Primary Responsibility
Prevent drowning and other injuries from occurring
at your aquatic facility
* Monitoring activities in and near the water
through patron surveillance.
* Preventing injuries by minimizing or eliminating
hazardous situations or behaviors.
* Enforcing facility rules and regulations and
educating patrons about them.
* Recognizing and responding quickly and
effectively to all emergencies.
* Administering first aid and CPR, including
using an automated external defibrillator
(AED) and, if trained, administer emergency
oxygen when needed.
* Working as a team with other lifeguards, facility
staff and management.
Secondary Responsibility
Responsibilities must never interfere with the patron
surveillance.
* Testing the pool water chemistry.
* Assist patrons by performing safety
orientations, administering swim tests, fitting
life jackets, and other duties (Figure 1-2).
* Cleaning or performing maintenance.
* Completing records and reports.
* Performing opening duties, closing duties, or
facility safety checks and inspections.
FIND
F - Figure out the problem.
I - Identify possible solutions.
N - Name the pros and cons for each solution.
D - Decide which solution is best, then act on it.
Duty to Act
While on the job, you have a legal
responsibility to act in an emergency. Failure to
adhere to this duty could result in legal action.
Standard of Care
You are expected to meet
a minimum standard of care, which may be
established in part by your training program
and in part by state or local authorities. This
standard requires you to:
-Communicate proper information and
warnings to help prevent injuries.
-Recognize someone in need of care.
Attempt to rescue those needing assistance.
-Provide emergency care according to your
level of training.
Negligence
When a person is injured or
suffers additional harm because lifeguards
failed to follow the standard of care or failed
to act at all, the lifeguards may be considered
negligent. Negligence includes:
o Failing to control or stop any behaviors that
could result in further harm or injury.
o Failing to provide care.
In-service training
It is a best practice of many well-managed facilities that lifeguards participate in a minimum of
4 hours of in-service training each month
PPE
Personal Protective Equipment
Formed Stool
Continue to operate the filtration system.
* Adjust the pH to below 7.5.
* Raise the free chlorine level to at least 2 ppm.
* Maintain those levels for 25 minutes before re-opening the pool.
Diarrheal discharge
- Continue to operate the circulation system.
- Adjust the pH to below 7.5
- Raise the free chlorine level to at least 20 ppm.
- Maintain those levels for 13 hours.
- Backwash the filter.
- Return the chlorine level to normal levels before re-opening the pool.
Vomit
Patrons are unlikely to contract RWIs by swallowing, breathing, or contacting pool water
contaminated by vomit or blood.
Follow same process as formed stool
Lightening
The National Lightning Safety Institute
recommends waiting 30 minutes after the last lightning sighting or sound of thunder before
resuming activities.
laryngospasm
a sudden closure of the larynx or windpipe
cardiac arrest drowning
little as 3 minutes
Amount of minutes for brain damage or death due to drowning
Brain damage or death can occur in as little as 4 to 6 minutes
dangerous behaviors in water
- A weak swimmer or nonswimmer who is:
o Bobbing in or near water over their head.
o Crawling hand-over-hand along a pool wall.
o Beyond arm’s reach of a supervising adult,
even if wearing a flotation aid.
o Clinging to something or struggling to grab
something to stay afloat.
o Wearing a life jacket improperly. - A person who is:
o Breath-holding or swimming underwater for
an extended period after hyperventilating.
o Participating in a high-risk, high-impact
activity, such as diving.
o Experiencing a medical emergency.
Lifeguards Response Time
30 seconds
Swimmers in Distress
keep head above water
is breathing
trying to sport self
expression of concern for personal safety
floating, sculling, or treading water
might wave for help
the body is horizontal, vertical, or diagonal depending on the support
little or no forward progress
able to call for help
at surface
instinctive drowning
response
These are efforts to try to
keep the mouth above the water’s surface in
order to breathe
Drowning Victim—Active
head tilted back, face looking up
struggles to keep head above water
struggles to reach the surface if the head is underwater
panic wide-eyed
struggles to breath
vertical leaning back body position
no locomotion
may not be able to call out for help
at surface, underwater, or sinking
Drowning Victim–Passive
Some drowning victims do not struggle
face up or face down in the water
submerged
limp or convulsive like movements
floating submerged
eyes may be closed
submerged may look like a shadow
not breathing
no movement
horizontal or vertical
no sound
floating at the surface, sinking, or submerged
scanning
visual
surface, bottom, and middle
head and eyes
Roving Stations
Good to use with a crowded zone
Elevated Stations
Ideal for a single guard facility
Ground-Level Stations
Puts you close to the patrons to easily make assists
Floating Station
Used in waterfront facilities to patrol the outer edge of
a swimming area
Lifeguard recognition
Lifeguard extraction and ventilations
30 seconds to spot someone
1.30-2.00
ventilations
give 2 only if victim is not breathing as result of a drowning
RID Factors
Recognition- failed to identify behaviors
Intrusion- secondary tasks got in the way
Distraction- talking to other lifeguards, friends, or patrons
Zone Coverage
-swimming area is divided into separate zones
-Zone coverage is effective for high-risk areas or
activities, avoiding blind spots and reducing the
number of patrons watched by each lifeguard.
-When zone coverage is being provided, each
lifeguard needs to know the zone for each
guarding position.
Total Coverage
When you are assigned total coverage, you will be
the only lifeguard conducting patron surveillance
while you are on duty. Some facilities, such as a
small pool, assign their lifeguards total coverage.
Ask Drill
place an object in the pool and see if the lifeguard can identity it
Slide-In Entry
safest in most
conditions. This technique is useful in shallow
water, crowded pools or when a victim with a
head, neck or spinal injury
Stride Jump
only if the
water is at least 5 feet deep and you are no
more than 3 feet above the water.
Compact Jump
must be at least 5 feet deep
Call First, Care First
Drowning & unresponsive child is \only care first
adult ventilations
every 5-6 secs, last one second, chest should drop before next ventilation
child & infant
every 1-3 secs, last one second, chest should drop before next ventilation
Vomiting
turn them on thier side, make sure their head & neck are supported. Keep the vomit from blocking their airway.
After vomiting stops, clear
the victim’s airway by wiping out the victim’s mouth using a finger sweep
CPR Adults
30-2
CPR Children & Infant
15-2
CPR Compression Depth
Adult - at least 2 inch no greater 2.4 inches
Child- 2inches
infant- 1.5 inches
CPR RATE
100-120 per minute
FAST
Face- ask them to smile
Arms- ask them to raise both arms
SPEECH- ask them to say a simple sentence
Time- summon ems if any of these signs are seen
Shock
Make sure that EMS personnel have been summoned.
* Have the victim lie down flat on their back.
* Cover the victim with a blanket to prevent loss of body heat.
* Comfort and reassure the victim until EMS personnel arrive and take over.
* Administer emergency oxygen, and if you are trained to do so.
* Monitor the victim’s condition and watch for changes in LOC.
* Control any external bleeding.
* Keep the victim from getting chilled or overheated.
RICE
Rest
Ice
Cold
Elevate
Suspected spinal not breathing
- If the victim is not breathing, immediately
remove the victim from the water using the
passive victim extrication technique and provide resuscitative care. Do not delay
extrication from the water by strapping
the victim onto the board or using the
head immobilizer device
