St. Louis Area Chapter trains more than 42,000 local residents in aquatics safety each year
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Note: Media interviews are available with Red Cross aquatics expert Joyce Bathke.
Professional lifeguards recognized for saving a life are also on standby.*
St. Louis, Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - In time for the busy spring and summer aquatics season, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter has launched a newly revised lifeguarding program in conjunction with Red Cross chapters nationwide. The revised training is designed to help aquatic facilities develop and implement a comprehensive program to best meet their unique needs. All courses reflect the latest science in first aid, CPR and emergency cardiovascular care, as well as the latest developments in water safety protocols and rescue skills.
"The American Red Cross is excited to offer this new and improved training to the metropolitan area," said Joyce Bathke, director of health and safety for the St. Louis Area Chapter. "The Red Cross reaches more than 42,000 local residents through aquatics curriculum each year. We fully anticipate this revised lifeguarding program to help us expand that lifesaving community outreach."
About Customized Lifeguard Training:
New Red Cross training options enable aquatic facilities to complete training for their professional lifeguards onsite, regardless of that facility's features or water depths. The curriculum helps participants concentrate on developing and refining their rescue skills, focusing on realistic scenarios that prepare lifeguards for the unique challenges faced during an emergency situation. To better address the challenges faced in a variety of aquatic environments, lifeguards are now able to choose from four stand-alone lifeguarding courses:
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Standard Lifeguarding - Ideal for facilities with traditional pools.
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Waterfront Lifeguarding - Ideal for facilities with non-surf, open-water environments such as lakes and rivers, as well as traditional pools.
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Waterpark Lifeguarding - Ideal for waterpark environments, multi-attraction facilities and traditional pools.
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Shallow Water Attendant - Ideal for facilities with shallow water attractions up to 4 feet deep, such as catch basins at the foot of slides, winding rivers and kiddie pools.
In addition to the stand-alone courses, the Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor Course is newly consolidated and is designed to make it easier to achieve and maintain instructor certification. The curriculum prepares instructors to teach the entire portfolio of Red Cross lifeguarding courses. Instructors are then able to offer lifeguarding training to additional staff members, increasing an aquatic facility's level of preparedness.
About Junior Lifeguarding and Management Training:
To maximize safety standards by optimizing lifeguard performance, additional Red Cross curriculum is also available. The following revised junior lifeguarding and management courses will help ensure professional and consistent staffing and are designed to be flexible and modular for easy integration into a facility's existing operations:
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GuardStart: Lifeguarding Tomorrow - Provides a jump-start into lifeguarding for youth ages 11 to 14.
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Lifeguard Management - Designed to teach aquatic managers and lifeguard supervisors how to effectively manage lifeguards and keep patrons, staff and aquatic facilities safe.
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Aquatic Examiner Service - Local Red Cross aquatic experts evaluate facilities to ensure the highest standards of safety while monitoring lifeguard performance. This is achieved through training and unannounced onsite evaluations.
About New Program Materials:
Newly revised program materials provide important reference tools for working lifeguards that remain applicable once training is complete. Resources provide additional course outlines (Bloodborne Pathogens Training and Administering Emergency Oxygen), presentation tools for lifeguard instructors, skill sheets, and review questions and answers. Supplemental information helps lifeguard instructors improve their teaching skills by focusing on the consistency of their training content. Materials include the following:
For More Information:
To learn more about the newly revised Red Cross lifeguarding program or other water safety curriculum, the public is encouraged to call the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or log on to www.redcrossstl.org.
About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter:
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter celebrates 90 years of dedicated service, providing emergency relief and preparedness training more than 410,000 times each year. The Red Cross is not a government agency and depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base) and part of Madison County in Illinois. All disaster relief services are provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of the American people. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or www.redcrossstl.org.
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