Lifeguarding Skills

A patron dives into the shallow end of the lap pool. You suspect a head, neck, or spinal injury because the patron performed a high-risk, high-impact activity, and has: a. Blood in the ears and nose. b. An elevated body temperature. c. Impaired hearing. d. An irregular heartbeat.

a. Blood in the ears and nose.

When completing an incident report: a. Collect all factual information about what was seen, heard, and the actions taken. b. Include all details about the incident, including your opinion about how the incident happened. c. Do not allow the victim to leave until you have completed the report and your supervisor has signed it. d. Allow witnesses to discuss their thoughts about the incident before compiling their statements into one report.

a. Collect all factual information about what was seen, heard, and the actions taken.

A lifeguard keeps an eye on the patrons of the pool, actively searching and checking the bottom, middle, and surface of the water. The lifeguard is demonstrating: a. Effective communication. b. Effective scanning. c. Implied consent. d. The RID factor.

b. Effective scanning.

While searching your zone, you notice a person motionless in the water. The steps you follow in a water emergency are performed in the following order: a. Activate the EAP, enter the water, perform an appropriate rescue, move the victim to a safe exit point, remove the victim from the water and provide emergency care as needed. b. Perform a secondary assessment, perform a primary assessment, size-up the scene, activate the emergency action plan (EAP), summon EMS personnel. c. Perform a primary assessment, activate, the EAP, summon EMS personnel, perform a secondary assessment and size-up the scene. d. Size-up the scene, activate the EAP, form an initial impression, summon EMS personnel, perform a primary assessment and perform a secondary assessment.

a. Activate the EAP, enter the water, perform an appropriate rescue, move the victim to a safe exit point, remove the victim from the water and provide emergency care as needed.

A lifeguard can no longer see some of the patrons at one side of the swimming area from their station because of glare from the afternoon sun. To maintain effective patron surveillance, the lifeguard should: a. Adjust his or her position slightly to remove the glare from the surveillance area. b. Leave the area to find the supervisor for assistance. c. Stay in the same position since the patrons are strong swimmers. d. Document the issue and present it at next month's staff meeting.

a. Adjust his or her position slightly to remove the glare from the surveillance area.

The objective of the facility safety team is to: a. Assist lifeguards in maintaining a safe environment and providing emergency care. b. Help lifeguards understand the facility's EAP. c. Provide emergency back-up coverage when lifeguards are performing a water rescue. d. Perform patron surveillance when lifeguards need to take a break.

a. Assist lifeguards in maintaining a safe environment and providing emergency care.

A child accidentally falls from the deck into the water and is in distress. After you activate the emergency action plan (EAP), what are included in your next steps? a. Enter the water, approach the victim, and bring them to a safe exit point. b. Clear the pool and alert management of the emergency. c. Encourage them to stay calm and swim back to the edge of the pool. d. Obtain consent from the child's parent before rescuing the child.

a. Enter the water, approach the victim, and bring them to a safe exit point.

The following statements describe appropriate rescue techniques for a victim with a suspected spinal injury, EXCEPT: a. If the victim is small and is in shallow water, you do not need to use a backboard to extricate the victim. b. If the victim is in shallow water, you do not need to use a rescue tube to support yourself. c. If the victim is at the surface in deep water, you may need a rescue tube to support yourself and the victim. d. If the victim is submerged, you should not use the rescue tube when submerging and bringing the victim to the surface.

a. If the victim is small and is in shallow water, you do not need to use a backboard to extricate the victim.

It is very hot in your facility and you are starting to doze on the stand. All of the following can help you stay alert EXCEPT for: a. Jumping into the pool while on surveillance duty to cool off. b. Rotating more frequently. c. Staying in a cooler area during breaks. d. Staying hydrated while drinking plenty of water.

a. Jumping into the pool while on surveillance duty to cool off.

A patron collides with another swimmer while diving into the pool and asks the lifeguard for help. Without performing an assessment, the lifeguard tells the patron that he can continue swimming. The patron leaves the facility and seeks medical attention from a hospital after he begins to feel tingling sensations in his arms and legs. The lifeguard may be: a. Negligent. b. A Good Samaritan. c. Following the refusal-of-care principle. d. Using the RID factor.

a. Negligent.

As a lifeguard, you may expect to participate in all of the following drills to evaluate the effectiveness of your zone EXCEPT: a. Tell Drill. b. Ask Drill c. Live Recognition Drill d. Lifeguard Station Response Time Testing.

a. Tell Drill

After removing a responsive victim you suspect has a spinal injury from the water, you should do all the following EXCEPT: a. Activate your facility's EAP. b. Dry the victim off and apply the pads of an AED. c. Protect the victim from becoming cold. d. Reassure the victim and perform a secondary assessment.

b. Dry the victim off and apply the pads of an AED.

Which of the following is a primary responsibility of a lifeguard? a. Testing the pool water chemistry. b. Enforcing facility rules and regulations and educating patrons about them. c. Monitoring the performance of the other lifeguards on duty. d. Performing opening duties, closing duties, or facility safety checks and inspections.

b. Enforcing facility rules and regulations and educating patrons about them.

You are approaching a victim who is horizontal in the water at the surface in 4 feet of water. The victim is facing you and appears to be unconscious. What rescue technique would be appropriate in this situation? a. Active victim front rescue. b. Passive victim front rescue. c. Passive victim in extreme shallow water-face up. d. Submerged victim in shallow water.

b. Passive victim fron rescue.

A large number of patrons are swimming at the facility. For effective patron surveillance, your supervisor decides to add another lifeguard station and tells you to modify the zone coverage based on the new station to: a. Allow the lifeguards to take turns scanning the good swimmers. b. Reduce the number of patrons watched by each lifeguard. c. Allow the lifeguards to take turns walking up and down the deck. d. Increase the number of patrons watched by each lifeguard.

b. Reduce the number of patrons watched by each lifeguard.

A child is running on the pool deck. You blow your whistle to get their attention. Next, you enforce the rules and regulations by: a. Calling your supervisor. b. Telling the child that she could slip or fall and must walk on the deck. c. Give the child a warning. d. Tell the child that she might be asked to leave and demand that she stop it now.

b. Telling the child that she could slip or fall and must walk on the deck.

When placing a responsive victim with a suspected head, neck, or spinal injury on a backboard, what in-line stabilization technique should you use? a. The head and chin support. b. The over-arm head splint. c. The recovery position. d. The hand hold position.

b. The over-arm head splint.

When conducting a swim test, Lifeguards should use the: a. Safe Swimming Sequence b. Water Competency Sequence c. Safe Swimming Steps d. Water Safety Steps

b. Water Competency Sequence

The lifeguard supervisor expects the pool to be very busy in the afternoon. For effective patron surveillance, the supervisor sets up multiple lifeguard stations to reduce the number of patrons watched by each lifeguard. This type of coverage is called: a. Back-up coverage. b. Zone coverage. c. Rescue coverage. d. Total coverage.

b. Zone coverage.

Which of the following is true of a submerged, unresponsive victim in deep water that you suspect has a spinal injury? a. You must keep your rescue tube on throughout the rescue. b.If the victim is not breathing, you would remove the victim from the water immediately without strapping him or her to a backboard. c. To minimize movement, you should keep them in the deep end of the pool during the rescue. d. You should provide in-water ventilations while other lifeguards strap the victim to the backboard.

b.If the victim is not breathing, you would remove the victim from the water immediately without strapping him or her to a backboard.

The size and shape of a lifeguard's zone should allow the lifeguard to recognize and reach a victim in the furthest and deepest part of their zone within: a. 1 and 1/2 minutes. b. 2 minutes. c. 30 seconds. d. 45 seconds.

c. 30 seconds.

Which of the following is true about accidental fecal releases (AFRs)? a. AFRs are part of the routine daily operation of a pool that must be done for safety. b. AFRs do not require immediate attention. c. AFRs require water treatment, temporary pool closure and immediate lifeguard attention. d. Managers only need to be concerned with AFRs.

c. AFRs require water treatment, temporary pool closure and immediate lifeguard attention.

A parent and child walk over to you; the parent states that the child fell on the pool deck and hit her head. You notice there is blood and fluid running from the child's ear and she is feeling dizzy. You activate the EAP and summon EMS personnel. What steps should you take next? a. Have the child lie down on the pool deck and perform a secondary assessment while waiting for EMS personnel to arrive. b. Provide manual stabilization while the other lifeguards prepare to backboard. c. Bring the child to a chair, ask her to sit down and tell her not to move. Perform a secondary assessment while waiting for EMS personnel to arrive. d. Have the parent transport the child to the emergency room since they are already walking.

c. Bring the child to a chair, ask her to sit down and tell her not to move. Perform a secondary assessment while waiting for EMS personnel to arrive.

In the event of thunder and lightning at an outdoor facility, lifeguards should: a. Clear everyone from the water and send them into the locker room to take showers during the thunderstorm. b. Keep watching for lightning strikes near the facility while patrons continue to swim. c. Clear everyone from the water at the first sound of thunder or at first sighting of lightning. d. Keep watching for more storms and monitor weather reports while patrons continue to swim.

c. Clear everyone from the water at the first sound of thunder or at first sighting of lightning

A head, neck, or spinal injury rarely happens: a. When someone is running on the pool deck. b. From collisions between swimmers. c. In deep water at a supervised facility. d. In shallow water that is clearly signed "No Diving."

c. In deep water at a supervised facility.

Which of the following statement(s) are true about the equipment that lifeguards should wear or carry? a. A Lifeguard should either wear a hip pack, or keep it strapped to her chair for easy access. b. Lifeguards should keep latex gloves in their hip pack at all times. c. Lifeguards should wear their rescue tube at all times when on surveillance duty. d. All of the above.

c. Lifeguards should wear their rescue tube at all times when on surveillance duty.

You enter the mechanical room and find a maintenance worker lying on their back on the floor next to a ladder. You check the scene and determine it is safe to enter. During your primary assessment, you find the victim is unresponsive but breathing. You must leave to get help. What should you do? a. Leave the victim just as he or she is. b. Do not leave the victim since he or she is breathing, monitor his or her condition and wait for additional help to come. c. Place the victim in a recovery position. d. Carefully drag the victim to where you can summon more help.

c. Place the victim in a recovery position.

You enter the water to rescue a victim with a suspected spinal injury. You determine that the victim is not breathing. What should you do next? a. Remove the victim from the water using a modified spinal backboarding procedure. b. Remove the victim from the water using the spinal backboarding procedure. c. Remove the victim from the using the Extrication Using a Backboard at the Pool Edge technique. d. Delay removal from the water and provide 2 minutes of in-water ventilations.

c. Remove the victim from the using the Extrication Using a Backboard at the Pool Edge technique

Members of the safety team, including non-lifeguard personnel, should be: a. Trained to follow the other EAP duties that do not involve providing care. b. Trained in CPR if they are interested in receiving training. c. Trained and certified in first aid and CPR/AED at the same level of the lifeguard team. d. Trained in first aid and CPR for non-professionals.

c. Trained and certified in first aid and CPR/AED at the same level of the lifeguard team.

If three lifeguards are on duty, emergency back-up coverage takes place: a. When a lifeguard is unable to show up to work for their shift. b. Whenever the facility EAP is activated. c. When a lifeguard enters the water for a rescue. d. When the facility has more patrons than its designated capacity allows.

c. When a lifeguard enters the water for a rescue.

Why does the Red Cross teaching the lifeguarding course? a. To help people stay calm in emergencies. b. To help people make appropriate decisions when they are confronted with an emergency. c. To help people in an emergency keep a victim's injuries from getting worse until emergency medical services (EMS) personnel arrive and take over. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

During in-service training, lifeguards practice the steps of recognizing a distressed swimmer, rescuing an active victim, informing management and speaking with witnesses. The lifeguards are practicing parts of a(n): a. Communication plan. b. Staff debriefing. c. Secondary assessment. d. Emergency action plan.

d. Emergency action plan.

You are lifeguarding during a family swim session when you notice a swimmer swimming full lengths of the pool under water. What should you do? a. Activate the facility EAP, clear the pool, and remove them from the pool. b. Immediately get the attention of the swimmer and instruct him or her to leave the pool for breaking the rules. c. Alert the pool manager of the situation once your shift is over and document the event. d. Immediately stop the person from continuing the activity and explain the dangers of the activity.

d. Immediately stop the person from continuing the activity and explain the dangers of the activity.

During morning adult lap swim, you notice a swimmer who slows down and is no longer able to make any forward progress. Which of the following is true? a. They have become a passive victim. b. They are an active victim. c. You should continue to to scan the pool and watch to see if their condition worsens. d. They are in danger of becoming an active victim if not assisted.

d. They are in danger of becoming an active victim if not assisted.

While searching your zone, you witness a patron struggling while swimming and then go under water. Which of the following applies? a. You would use the RID factor to determine what to do. b. You should notify off duty lifeguards to determine what to do. c. You should continue to scan the pool until emergency back-up coverage is available. d. You have duty to act and perform the appropriate rescue.

d. You have duty to act and perform the appropriate rescue.