AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Even if your child knows how to swim and you keep a watchful eye it's always nice to know at Amarillo pools, lifeguards are there on standby, just in case.
Friday, some of those potential life-saving guys and gals were out at Southwest Pool for a day of training. After going through several rigorous tests, those who pass will be certified through the international Jeff Ellis and Associates Program and then can be hired by the City to lifeguard at any city pool. The candidates ranged in age from 16 to 42 and by the time they complete the four day training, they'll have been through 23 hours of lifeguard training.
"They're also going to be learning how to recognize a guest in distress," explained the City of Amarillo Parks and Recreation Aquatics Director, Janice Young. "Our guards are going to be learning a 10-20 protection rule. Ten seconds to scan the area they're responsible and 20 seconds to be able to get to them and save their life. And so they're going to be learning a lot of that and they're going to drilled and drilled and drilled. That's what lifeguard philosophy is all about, make it as realistic as possible."
Before doing any water training, all the guards had to take two days of classroom training where they were CPR certified and learned how to use important safety equipment located at all city pools, like defibrillators. Saturday, that group of lifeguards will spend another five hours in the water completing their training.
