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| (Illustrative Only) I'm playing with AI for some other things I got going on but I thought it was sort of funny. Chewy is my dog known for his great bug hunting and barking skills. Escanaba is like a northern UP Cabo like town with its beaches, shopping, nightlife, cruise boats, fishing quality, dinning, entrepreneurs, and outdoor recreation. Adventure-Venture Capitalism |
I've also always enjoyed fitness and outdoor activities. I am a certified fitness trainer and yoga instructor, although I primarily do those things as hobbies. I also enjoy swimming, rowing, sailing, and other outdoor pursuits. Because our area has a significant need for lifeguards, I decided this was a good opportunity to help out. My goal is to helpout about one shift per week, which is typically four to five hours. Without lifeguards kids are not going to have as much sun. With the tourism beaches are popular.
The training was much more demanding than I expected. There are significant physical requirements, and I can see why not everyone passes. Open-water lifeguarding is even more intensive than the basic certification. In addition to the swimming requirements, there is extensive CPR, AED, and emergency medical training. As a volunteer-PT firefighter, I have some medical training already, but this course went much deeper into rescue and patient care procedures. The skills learned are valuable and can be used anywhere.
Before being admitted to the course, participants had to pass a pre-qualification test. This included swimming several lengths of the pool, treading water for two minutes without using your hands, and completing additional swim requirements. Another challenge involved swimming across the pool, diving approximately eight to nine feet underwater, retrieving a ten-pound brick, and carrying it back on your chest without dropping it.
Passing the course required much more than simply meeting the entry standards. Participants had to pass written examinations and complete rescue scenarios. One of the most challenging exercises involved rescuing a simulated drowning victim from the bottom of the pool. We used live victims rather than mannequins. The rescuer had to swim quickly to the victim, dive down, bring them safely to the surface, secure them with a rescue tube, and transport them to the side of the pool. From there, the rescuer performed a rapid extraction, assessed the victim, provided rescue breaths when appropriate, and began CPR within a strict time limit.
The first time I completed the scenario, I finished in one minute and thirty-seven seconds. The standard was one minute and thirty seconds. The instructors said it was one of the closest first attempts they had seen. Interestingly, my times became slower during subsequent attempts before improving again. I learned that success is not simply about swimming harder or moving faster. It is about developing an efficient system and performing each step smoothly and consistently.
I also optained an open-water certification. What surprised me is that Escanaba and Gladstone are classified as surf beaches. While many people associate rip currents with places like California, the Great Lakes can also experience strong currents and dangerous conditions. I have seen evidence of these currents near local beaches and offshore areas where the water becomes deeper and colder (i.e. end of Arnson Island and the mouth of Escanaba River).
The open-water certification includes additional swimming endurance tests, underwater retrieval exercises, underwater search & rescue techniques, rescue board training, and other advanced rescue techniques. Candidates must complete multiple rounds of long-distance swimming, tread water without using their hands, and pass additional written and practical examinations. The certification also includes CPR, AED, deep-water rescue, and professional-level lifeguarding skills.
This training is no joke. It is physically and mentally demanding, but it is also rewarding. While many lifeguards are younger, there is no reason older adults cannot participate if they maintain their fitness and are willing to put in the effort (There used to be an older vet that used to help out and I got jealous). I enjoy staying active, learning new skills, and helping others, so lifeguarding seemed like a natural fit.
There is a continual need for qualified lifeguards in many UP communities. If you enjoy swimming, fitness, and working with people, it may be something worth considering. Whether you can commit to a few hours a week or more, every qualified lifeguard helps make our beaches and pools safer for everyone.
The information below is part of my effort to continue learning and improving my knowledge of water safety, rescue operations, and emergency response. Like firefighting, lifeguarding is a field where continuous learning can make a real difference.
Research Summary: Drowning Detection and Lifeguard Performance
- The article synthesizes findings from approximately 30 peer-reviewed studies examining lifeguard drowning detection performance in pools, surf environments, and laboratory settings.
- Research consistently shows that trained lifeguards generally detect drowning victims and aquatic hazards more accurately and more quickly than non-lifeguards, although some studies found only modest differences.
- Experience and expertise are important factors in successful drowning detection, with more experienced lifeguards typically demonstrating faster and more accurate hazard recognition.
- Visual surveillance is challenging due to factors such as selective attention, inattentional blindness, vigilance decline, fatigue, and expectation bias, all of which can contribute to missed detections.
- Evidence does not strongly support teaching rigid geometric scanning patterns as a way to improve detection performance. Instead, practical experience and realistic training appear more beneficial.
- Several studies found that lifeguards respond faster than non-lifeguards when identifying distressed swimmers, often detecting incidents within a few seconds.
- Environmental and physiological factors—including dehydration, fatigue, heat, humidity, sleep disturbances, and long periods of monitoring—can negatively affect lifeguard vigilance and detection performance.
- Simulated drowning audits, safety briefings, and specialized attention-training interventions may improve surveillance effectiveness and reduce distractions.
- Advances in technology have led to the development of camera-based and artificial intelligence systems that can assist with drowning detection, with some studies reporting promising accuracy rates.
- Prevention remains a major component of lifeguarding, with intervention studies showing that most lifeguard actions occur before a rescue becomes necessary.
Jacklin, D. (2023, January 6; updated April 29). Research summary: Drowning detection and lifeguard performance. Water Incident Research Hub. https://www.thewirh.com/blog/detection-performance
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