Get Certified as Lifeguard at YMCA

A Lifeguard Training Course starts Wednesday, March 21, and runs every Wednesday through May 9 at the Bayside YMCA.

Class time is 5 to 9 pm. You must be at least 16 years of age by the last day of the course and attend all sessions to get a certification. 

The Y’s lifeguard training course prepares participants to prevent, anticipate and effectively respond to aquatic emergencies, according to Edna Kurtzman, program director. 

In lifeguard training, participants learn incident prevention and victim recognition, decision-making skills, and lifeguard supervision systems, and they learn how to handle special lifeguarding environments and situations and how to make safe and effective rescues. 

Every lifeguard should be skilled in prevention, victim recognition, rescues, and emergency care, said Kurtzman. 

"The YMCA lifeguard training course teaches all these skill sets and more," she said. 

"The lifeguard program is a scenario-based training program developed over the last four years with input from YMCA and other aquatic professionals to ensure that lifeguards are the best in the business," Kurtzman said.

This course will certify participants to lifeguard and be trained in CPR PRO/AED, First Aid, and Emergency Oxygen Administration. 

Pre-registration is required. The program may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. 

The fee is $350 for YMCA members and $500 for non-members. Financial assistance is available.   

For further information, contact aquatics director Trevor Mecketsy at 401-245-2444 ext 111 or by email at tmecketsy@gpymca.org. The Bayside YMCA is located at 70 West St.