Head Lifeguard Responsibilities
The head lifeguard responsibilities include overseeing, instructing, planning and assessing the personnel who have been allocated a swimming facility and executing lifeguard activities. He/she trains the newcomers and supervises the operations that are executed in a swimming pool. He/she also executes other pool duties and roles, as and when needed, as advised by the manager. A head lifeguard may also look after the administration and take care of junior swimming coaches or lifeguards.
He/she arranges the newcomers in a particular way and teaches them swimming and other aquatic related activities. He/she inspires them to learn and teaches them all the possible water activities that can save their lives and lives of other people. A head lifeguard gives all the instructions and advice to the public and newcomers in accordance to the policies and safety rules and regulations of the swimming pool or that area. A head lifeguard also executes the following key duties and roles that are mentioned below:
- Upholding the safety policies of the swimming pool and teaching swimming to the public so that they can save themselves when in water.
- Ensuring that the swimming pool area is neat and clean and that it is sanitized on a regular basis.
- Making sure that the cleaning feet chemical solution is kept before entering the pool and everybody dips their feet in that.
- Ensuring that all the people enter the pool only after washing themselves thoroughly or only after taking a bath.
- Making sure that all the principles and modulations of the swimming pool are obeyed by everyone, including himself/herself.
- Implementing safety procedures and methods in the pool while running the aquatic activities.
- Being strict and disciplined with the people or newcomers who don't obey the rules, regulations and policies of the pool.
- Upholding the records of the number of people swimming, which include their details and other necessary data.
- Instructing everybody to make an entry in the swimming register kept near the pool, so that he/she knows everybody in the pool and can take suitable actions with respect to them, as and when needed.Changing the water of the pool once a week in order to maintain its safety standards and regulations.
- Ensuring that the chemical, chlorine has been added to and included in the pool in moderate quantities in order to kill all the germs thriving in the water.
- Making sure that the amount of chlorine added to the water does not interfere with the aquatic activities of the people in the pool and that the same are able to tolerate the chlorine levels.
- Maintaining and taking care of all the swimming equipment like the tubes, floating turfs, etc., that are handled by the newcomers and swimmers.
- Saving the lives of people drowning in the pool and observing and monitoring the water activities of the newcomers and everybody else swimming in the pool.
- Ensuring that first aid is provided properly to the people who have been rescued and taking them to the nearby hospital in case of emergency situations.
- Overseeing and enhancing the quality of the swimming pool and making sure that the safety instructions are documented on a placard hanging on a wall nearby.
- Opening and shutting the swimming pools, as and when needed, as per the directions of the management.
- Organizing various kinds of seminars and conferences on the safety of the people in the swimming pool.
- Administrating the associates in practising mock cardio pulmonary resuscitaions in order to give the same to people who are rescued from drowning and who suffer breathing problems and feel shortage of oxygen.
- Ensuring the enforcement of all the rules and modulations of the management in the swimming pool.
- Organizing various pool events and other competitions during summer festivals and observing the movements of all the participants.
- Heading and inspiring the personnel of the swimming pool and acting on the feedback given from the public entering the pool.
- Practising to scream loudly in and around the swimming pool in order to warn the swimmers about impending dangers.
- Building up his/her stamina to combat difficult circumstances and updating himself/herself with all the active swimming styles and diving trends to train newcomers.
- Inspiring more and more people to participate in the summer swimming events.
- Informing the swimmers about the various benefits of swimming and overcoming all the training obstacles produced in front of him/her by the management.
- Keeping himself fit and athletic in order to save the lives of people.
- Maintaining an active mind and training himself/herself in such a manner that he/she can take firm and right decisions about saving people from dangerous situations.
- Interacting with the newcomers, swimmers and other simming personnel and upholding good bonds with the same.
- Conveying his/her instructions to the public and swimmers very efficiently and effectively.
- Resolving conflicts of the pool personnel and public within the swimmimg pool and staying attentive to save lives.
- Undertaking all other jobs that need his/her direction and attention.
Skills Required
The first and foremost requirement for the position of a head lifeguard is that the candidate should be an excellent swimmer. He/she must have completed atleast 520 hours as a lifeguard in a prestigious aquatic or swimming organization. He/she must possess the required certificates that allow him/her to serve as a head lifeguard. He/she has to complete first aid and other medical safety trainings. A head lifeguard needs to have good attention and observation skills. Apart from these, he/she should not be suffering from epilepsy. Having good training and gymnasium skills would be an asset to the organization.
Working Conditions
A head lifeguard should be comfortable working in a wet and watery environment. He/she should be equally comfortable working in all kinds of weather conditions, noise and odours. He/she may have to assist people immediately and offer them first aid. He/she may have to wear a uniform of the particular organization that hires him/her and generally work early mornings to late evenings everyday. The duty timings of a head lifeguard varies from one place to another, depending on the organization. He/she gets one off day in a week.
Salary
A head lifeguard's compensation is decided on an hourly basis. He earns about USD 12 to USD 13 per hour on a median basis.
Thus, the head lifeguard responsibilities include taking care of the swimming pool and saving the lives of people who are on the verge of death.
