Lifeguards get trained at the Gallagher

Who keeps you safe in the pool? It’s a lifeguard, trained to keep an eye out to make sure everyone at the pool is safe and help whenever someone is in distress. A new group of lifeguards were trained at the Gallagher Centre on the weekend.

Graham Erickson, Waterpark Manager at the Gallagher Centre, explains that they train lifeguards through the National Lifeguard Program, Canada’s standard for lifeguard training. It goes through the bronze medallion program, to the bronze cross program and the National Lifeguard program. Students must be 13 before taking the bronze programs, and they must be 16 and have CPR and First Aid before taking the National Lifeguard program.

Another benefit for high school students is that doing lifeguard training is a way to get a high school credit.

The training is a combination of classroom learning and in the pool learning. Students learn about pool safety theories, emergency procedures, how to respond and how to lead when there’s an emergency at a pool.

“You learn how to respond to specific incidents and talk about how you adapt that to a wide variety of situations,” said Erickson.

The immediate benefit of the lifeguard training is a job as a lifeguard, but Erickson said the benefits go through their lifeguards’ lives.

“The important part is the leadership and communication skills. When you go into any kind of situation, especially an emergency, you need to have the fundamental training for that specific set of emergencies, but you also have to demonstrate the leadership, you have to demonstrate the initiative, problem solving, recognition of emergency or any situation, and how you’re going to address it.”

The training program is offered four to six times a year, and Erickson explains it’s a priority for the Gallagher Centre due to their unique setup in this area of the province. The pool trains a couple dozen students every year.

“We’re the only indoor pool for 200kms, so anyone half-way between us and Regina has to choose where to go. There are a bunch of outdoor pools all around us that don’t have the time to run these courses in the summer if they want to have staff for their pools.”