As a professional lifeguard, staying certified through periodic recertification is essential to maintaining your highest safety standards and up-to-date lifesaving skills. The American Lifeguard Association (ALA) is recognized worldwide as setting the gold standard for lifeguard certification and recertification. During an ALA lifeguard recertification exam, your knowledge and abilities in several key lifesaving areas will be rigorously tested.
Water Rescue Skills
Performing effective, swift water rescues is the core responsibility of any lifeguard. The ALA recertification exam devotes significant time to verifying lifeguards have maintained a high level of proficiency in rescue skills. You’ll be asked to demonstrate several types of water rescues from the side of the pool as if a patron needs assistance. This includes reaching assists, throwing assists using rescue equipment, and wading/swimming rescues.
For deeper water situations, you’ll perform rescues from the water’s edge or in deeper areas, which may involve surface diving, submerged victim approaches, carries and swims. Simulated rescues test your decision making under time pressure. With every lifeguard recertification, the ALA wants to be confident you can execute rescues appropriately for any emergency situation.
First Aid and CPR Skills
In addition to rescues, knowing first aid and CPR is critical for any medical emergency a lifeguard may encounter. The recertification exam assess these crucial skills through practical scenarios. You’ll demonstrate proficiency in adult, child and infant CPR on mannequins.
First aid skills like controlling bleeding, basic wound care, applying dressings and slings, and recognizing various injuries or illnesses will also be tested. Recognizing and responding properly to breathing/ cardiac emergencies within a set timeline is important to prove during lifeguard recertification. The ALA wants to see that through continual training, your first aid and lifesaving skills remain sharp.
Emergency Action Plan Procedures
Every pool or aquatic facility will have its own emergency action plan to follow in case of accidents or health issues. A key part of the ALA recertification exam is testing your knowledge of standard emergency response procedures. You’ll be questioned about roles and responsibilities during different emergency scenarios like injuries, missing persons, weather emergencies, and facility-specific protocols.
Communicating clearly with emergency services operators on when and how to contact EMS will be evaluated. Maintaining familiarity with multiple facilities’ EAPs is important as many lifeguards work at multiple locations. Ensuring you understand any minor differences is a focus during lifeguard recertification exams.
Safety Equipment Proficiency
No pool is complete without proper safety equipment, and lifeguards must know how to use it effectively in any situation. Part of the ALA exam tests your familiarity with various lifesaving devices. You’ll demonstrate operating backboards, neck-braces, throwing rescue tubes or bags, first aid kits, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and any other equipment unique to the facility.
Operating any machinery properly, like lifts or hoists is evaluated to ensure safety. Lifeguards may also be tested on checking, maintaining and documenting equipment condition is documented correctly. By reinforcing safety equipment competency during lifeguard recertification, the ALA aims to keep rescue professionals up-to-date on latest techniques.
Surveillance and Prevention Strategies
A major component of the lifeguard’s role involves actively supervising patrons to prevent issues before they occur. During an ALA recertification exam, you’ll likely discuss strategies for maintaining vigilance, scanning techniques, and enforcing rules effectively to maximize safety.
Communication skills when addressing rule violations will be reviewed. You may also evaluate surveillance setups to identify potential blindspots or crowding concerns. Lifeguards should refresh prevention tactics as needs change overtime. The recertification focuses on verifying guards still apply the most current surveillance and risk management strategies promoted by the ALA.
Medical/Legal/Professional Requirements
Beyond skills, the ALA recertification assures continuing education standards are met. You’ll need to provide proof of certification in areas like CPR, first aid, AED operation if required prior to your exam date. Documentation of any additional medical training required by your state must be shown.
Knowledge of relevant legal concepts like negligence, duty-to-rescue laws will be checked. As an aquatic professional, adherence to ALA code of conduct and ethics is expected. Recertification verifies lifeguards remain informed on important class materials, policies or any legislative changes impacting their lifesaving role.
In Closure
ALA lifeguard recertification exams provide a comprehensive evaluation of all safety competencies. From water rescue mechanics, to first aid procedures, equipment use, surveillance strategies and policy/legal awareness – recertification assures lifeguards maintain the highest standards to serve pool patrons effectively.
I hope this overview of testing areas was informative for any lifeguard seeking to renew their ALA certification in the future. Please let me know if you need any other details. Safety is the top priority, and continuous training through recertification helps achieve that goal. Read more information click here.
