A handful of potential future lifeguards - young teens who have taken an interest in water safety – took part in Bridgeport Parks and Recreation’s annual junior lifeguard training.

 

For the past 15 years, Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Joe Shuttleworth has hosted the educational program, which this year concluded Wednesday.

 

“It’s kind of a crash course for teenagers – like 11 to 14 years old – who could potentially have interest in becoming a lifeguard,” he said. “We try to give them an overall view in what all is entailed in becoming a lifeguard, talking about the stigma that it’s all fun and games and getting a suntan. The kids learn pretty quickly that there’s a lot more to it than that.”

 

The training includes a classroom component and on-site training at Bridgeport City Pool.

 

Tristan Knapp, current pool manager, took the lead in a portion of that training. 

 

Participating students learned the mechanics of pool operation – how pumps and filters work, as well as chemical composition of pool, including PH control.

 

Trainees also dive into the physical aspects of lifeguarding.

 

“One of the most important things is finding out what kind of swimmers they are," he said. "When someone goes to a lifeguarding class, one of the first things they do is have you get into the pool and see if you can pass a swim test. If you can’t, you cannot proceed.”

 

Swimming 300 meters non-stop – equivalent to 12 lengths of Bridgeport Pool – is harder than many believe, Shuttleworth said.

 

The trainees also learn to perform rescues in the pool and learn basic skills they would learn in a lifeguard class, but on a much smaller scale. The overview touches on spinal injury management; students even learning to place an individual on a backboard.

 

Also featured in the three-day learning session is a tour of city pool facilities, conflict resolution – how to deal with issues and people - and even an overview of job interview skills.

 

The junior lifeguard class was held 9:30 to 11 a.m. Monday through Wednesday this week; half the time spent at Benedum Civic Center and the other half at Bridgeport Pool.

 

Often, those who take advantage of the class are members of the Bridgeport Wildcatter Swim Team and/or those who spend most of the summer at the city pool facility.

 

“So this is kind of a natural progression for a lot of them,” Shuttleworth said. “From our standpoint, the majority of kids taking the course  will eventually apply with us for a summer lifeguarding job, so this lets them look into it a little bit ahead of time.”

 

Watching swim team members make the transition to lifeguarding is a nice thing to see happen, Shuttleworth said.

 

“We have a pretty renowned swim lesson program on the county level because the majority of the kids teaching are state champion swimmers,” he said. “It’s a nice progression for us. Being on the swim team exposes them to opportunities and education and they learn a little about lifeguarding through the junior lifeguarding program. Then, through the years, many of them come to work for us.”

 

Those completing the three-day course are presented with certificates. Whether or not they pursue lifeguarding in the future, they are left with skills that could potentially help someone or even help save a life, Shuttleworth said.