Summary
Highlights
Katy Kale, a National Lifeguard for over 20 years and an instructor/instructor trainer, introduces the video's focus: preparing for NL recertification. She emphasizes that her opinions are personal and not endorsed by the Lifesaving Society. She shares her unique perspective as someone who doesn't work at a pool daily, highlighting the need for intentional preparation due to a more sedentary lifestyle.
Katy details the physical requirements for the NL Pool recertification, which typically lasts four hours. These include the Object Recovery (brick), 50-meter Sprint Challenge, and 400-meter Endurance Challenge. She notes that some provincial branches may have slight variations.
The Object Recovery, or 'brick' test, involves a 15-meter swim, surface dive to recover a 20lb brick from a depth of 1.5-3 meters, and then carrying it 5 meters with the jawline consistently out of the water, all within 40 seconds. Katy highlights that most candidates reach the brick within 20 seconds, allowing ample time for proper technique.
The Sprint Challenge requires completing a 50-meter sprint (in-water start) within 60 seconds. Notably, the 2022 revisions allow for face-in swimming and goggles, unlike previous head-up requirements, which makes training for this more aligned with endurance swimming.
The Endurance Challenge, unchanged in recent revisions, requires swimming 400 meters in 10 minutes. This standard is considered easily achievable for active aquatic professionals. Katy, acknowledging her sedentary lifestyle, aims for a time under 8 minutes and 20 seconds and maintains her fitness with one swim per week.
The knowledge-based items are demonstrated through scenarios and rescues. Candidates must show proficient scanning and observation techniques, including systematic patterns, continuous scanning, and quick recognition of incidents. Scenarios involve managing distressed/drowning victims, submerged non-breathing victims, and injured victims, both as single lifeguards and as part of a team.
Candidates need to demonstrate correct first aid knowledge (e.g., for stings, choking, CPR) and proper use of personal protective equipment and resources. Katy advises nervous candidates to download the recertification guide, prepare well in advance (at least three months), and register early to avoid last-minute stress. She also suggests proper rest, nutrition, and familiarizing oneself with the facility.
In Alberta, the NL award is a 'lifetime award,' meaning there's no strict deadline for recertification after expiry, but it's harder to recall information over time. Katy suggests shadowing lifeguards and brushing up on first aid, as its certification cycle is different. She highlights that the 4-hour recertification format in Alberta is intense, requiring candidates to be well-prepared to simply demonstrate skills rather than re-learn them.
Katy's personal strategy includes swimming 600-800 meters once a week to maintain fitness, aiming for her endurance swim goal. She booked her recertification nine months in advance and keeps her content knowledge current by teaching NL courses. She emphasizes setting benchmarks, as she did during the pandemic, to track progress and identify areas for improvement. She reassures viewers that recertification shouldn't be scary, and resources and help are available.