How to Be a Summer Camp Lifeguard
Working as a camp lifeguard and watching out for all of those campers splashing around the pool is an important job and a serious responsibility. Here are some tips for being a summer camp lifeguard.
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Instructions
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Choose the right camp for you. Camps that are specialized for handicapped children or children with special needs may add unique challenges to your duty as a lifeguard. Find out what type of campers you will be looking after as well as their age ranges. These factors will determine how demanding your lifeguard responsibilities will be.
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Improve your swimming skills. Even if you have worked as a lifeguard in the past, being on call all day at a summer camp requires you to utilize all of your endurance and strength to keep campers safe. Take a basic swimming course at your local fitness club to enhance your swimming stamina or just make swimming a daily part of your individual fitness regimen leading up to the start of the camp season.
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Get to know your campers. The structures of many camps will involve interacting with the campers outside of the pool. Becoming familiar with them will not only increase the trust that they have towards you, but it will also give you a better understanding of their maturity levels. This will determine how closely they need to be watched when swimming and will make your life guarding duties more manageable.
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Rest up and stay hydrated. Working as a lifeguard will involve sitting in the hot sun for hours, and you need to be healthy and energized to do your job. Make sure you get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water to avoid fatigue or dehydration. Taking care of yourself, eating right and staying healthy helps you stay alert and energized.
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Be creative. Create fun and safe activities at the pool that will make swim time cool. Swimming relays, penny dives and pool basketball are just a few pool time activities. Work with the program director that creates other programs for the campers and find fun theme activities that will tie in with other planned events.
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Become CPR and first aid certified. You will be responsible for handling any emergencies at the pool both in and out of the water. In addition to having to watch out for campers that are weak swimmers and might need to be pulled out of the water at a moment's notice, you must be prepared in the event of campers falling down, being stung by bees or breaking bones. Make sure that your pool is stocked with first aid supplies and that you have all the skills necessary to handle any unexpected emergencies.
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