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Lifesaving

A lifesaver is anybody who provides lifesaving assistance, and is unpaid for their actions. A lifesaver can decide if and how to effect a rescue, unlike a lifeguard who is paid to provide assistance and does not have such choices.

A lifesaver does not necessarily have any training, but with training the action taken can be noticeably better.

The lifesaving training given by our club is specified by the Royal Life Saving Society and provides this very important training. Within the club, we have several teachers qualified to provide the range of awards developed by the society.

The most well known award is the Bronze Medallion. This has recently been updated and the entry age has been lowered to 12. There is no upper age for this award!, and people in their 70s and 80s have been known to obtain them. This award requires water rescue skills, resuscitation skills, and a basic knowledge of first aid.

Following on from the Bronze Medallion are two further awards, which demand higher levels of skill. These are, in order of difficulty, the award of merit and the distinction. The training for the distinction award requires as a prerequisite an open water award. This is the society's silver cross open water award. This itself has a prerequisite which is the bronze cross open water award. The open water awards as their names suggest require skills in open water environments.

The resuscitation and first aid content for these three awards can be trained for separately and are named Life Support awards (Life Support 1, 2 and 3).

For younger children, the Club provides training for the Society's Rookie Life Saving Awards. These Awards cover a wide range of skills that are taught in the swimming pool environment. In addition to water rescue skills and personal survival techniques, some first aid knowledge is included.