Who Can Obtain A Lifeguard Certificate?
Who Can Obtain a Lifeguard Certificate?
In the United States, water safety is a paramount concern, and one of the crucial roles in ensuring it is that of a lifeguard. Lifeguards play a pivotal role in preventing accidents and responding swiftly in emergency situations around bodies of water.
To become a lifeguard in the USA, individuals must undergo comprehensive training and earn a lifeguard certificate. While several organizations offer lifeguard certification, the American Lifeguard Association (ALA) is gaining prominence for its high standards and rigorous training programs.
In this article, we will explore who can obtain a lifeguard certificate in the USA and delve into the unique features of the American Lifeguard Association's certification process.
Qualifications for Lifeguard Certification
Age Requirements
The most basic requirement for obtaining a lifeguard certificate in the USA is meeting the age criteria. Generally, individuals must be at least 15 or 16 years old, depending on the certification program.
The age requirement ensures that candidates have the maturity and physical capability to handle the responsibilities of a lifeguard. Swimming Proficiency:
A strong swimming ability is a fundamental requirement for lifeguard certification. Candidates are typically required to demonstrate competence in various swimming strokes and skills, such as treading water and diving.
The specific swimming requirements may vary slightly among different certification programs.
CPR and First Aid Certification
Lifeguards are often the first responders in emergency situations, so certification programs typically include training in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and First Aid. Having a current CPR and First Aid certification is often a prerequisite for lifeguard training.
Physical Fitness
Lifeguarding can be physically demanding, requiring stamina and strength. Candidates may need to pass a fitness test, which could include swimming a certain distance within a specific time frame and performing timed rescues.
American Lifeguard Association (ALA) Certification
While several organizations provide lifeguard certification in the USA, the American Lifeguard Association has gained recognition for its commitment to high standards and innovative training programs. Here are some key aspects of ALA's lifeguard certification:
Comprehensive Training
ALA offers a comprehensive lifeguard training program that covers not only the essential lifeguarding skills but also emphasizes situational awareness, effective communication, and risk management.
The goal is to produce lifeguards who are not only skilled in water rescue but also well-equipped to prevent accidents.
Innovative Teaching Methods
ALA employs innovative teaching methods to engage candidates and enhance the learning experience. This includes the use of modern educational technology, scenario-based training, and interactive simulations to better prepare lifeguards for real-world situations. Emphasis on Preventative Measures:
The ALA training program places a strong emphasis on preventative measures, teaching lifeguards to identify potential risks and take proactive steps to mitigate them. This focus on prevention aligns with the idea that the best rescue is the one that never has to happen.
Continuing Education Opportunities
Lifeguarding is a dynamic field, and ALA recognizes the importance of ongoing education. The association provides opportunities for lifeguards to continue their learning and stay updated on the latest safety protocols and techniques. Conclusion:
Becoming a certified lifeguard in the USA is a significant achievement that requires a combination of age eligibility, swimming proficiency, CPR and First Aid certification, and physical fitness.
While various organizations offer lifeguard certification, the American Lifeguard Association stands out for its commitment to high standards, comprehensive training, and innovative teaching methods.
Aspiring lifeguards should carefully choose a certification program that not only meets the basic requirements but also equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in their crucial role.
With water safety being of utmost importance, certified lifeguards play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of individuals enjoying aquatic activities across the nation.
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Bill HR 9495 still remains a threat to nonprofits and independent news
Bill H.R. 9495, aka the “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act,” was meant to protect US Hostages from tax penalties; the problem is that the bill received an add-on that would give the Treasury Secretary the power to strip any non-profit of their tax-exempt status based on the idea that the nonprofit is a “terrorist supporting” organization, all without due process or a justification.
And although another exemption was added to the bill that would "protect" Non-profits from this by exempting Non-Profits that have approval from the Office of Foreign Assets Control(OFAC). This would still target non-profit organizations since all it would take to attack them is to just rescind that prior approval
This would give the upcoming Trump administration the power to kill any non-profit org, from AO3 to the ACLU. Even local nonprofits and independent news sources could be stripped of their status and be unable to receive funding to stay open, all because they had different views than the government.
Unfortunately, the bill passed the House and is headed toward the Senate, but there hasn't been any update regarding the bill or a date to vote on it; it's probably best to find your Senator and call, email, or fax them to tell them to vote no if it comes to a vote.
Below are some tools and a list of Senate leaders you should call in addition to your senator:
Democrat Senate Leaders:
Chuck Schumer:
Phone: (202) 224-6542
Fax: (202) 228-3027
Dick Durbin:
Phone: 202-224-2152
Debbie Stabenow:
Phone:(202) 224-4822
Elizabeth Warren:
Phone: (202) 224-4543
Mark R. Warner:
Phone: 202-224-2023
Amy Klobuchar:
Phone: 202-224-3244
Fax: 202-228-2186
Bernie Sanders:
Phone: 202-224-5141 Fax: 202-228-0776
Catherine Cortez Masto:
Phone: (202) 224-3542
Joe Manchin:
Phone: 202-224-3954 Fax: 202-228-0002
Cory A. Booker:
Phone: (202) 224-3224
Fax: (202) 224-8378
Tammy Baldwin:
Phone: (202) 224-5653
Brian Schatz:
Phone: (202) 224-3934
Republican Senate Leaders:
Mitch McConnell:
Phone: (202) 224-2541 Fax: (202) 224-2499
John Thune:
Phone: (202) 224-2321
Fax: (202) 228-5429
John Barrasso:
Main: 202-224-6441 Fax: 202-224-1724
Joni Ernst:
PHONE: (319) 365-4504
FAX: (319) 365-4683
Shelley Capito:
Phone: 202-224-6472
Steve Daines:
p: (202) 224-2651 f: 202-228-1236
Find Your Senator:
Or you can call the Congressional switchboard today and ask to be connected with each of your Senators’ offices. Demand they vote against this bill: (202) 224-3121
If you don’t like talking to people, you can call after their offices close so you can leave a message
you can also Text RESIST to 50409 to send your message into a fax and email to your senator
Fax tool:
Here are some call scripts that you can use as fax and email as well:
If you have a Democrat Senator, you can use this script:
“I am calling Senator [THEIR LAST NAME] as a constituent to urge them to vote against the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, when it comes to the Senate floor. This bill would give the Treasury the power to kill non-profit organizations without evidence, and will be used as a sledge hammer to destroy any organization that speaks out against the incoming President’s agenda. No matter who was in power, this bill would be authoritarian and ripe for abuse. Handing this power to a President known to be vindictive, and who has promised to be a “day one” dictator, would be a failure of congressional leadership. Please share my thoughts with the Senator, urging them to vote against this dangerous legislation. Thank you”
If you have a Republican Senator, you can use this script:
“As your constituent, I urge you to vote NO on H.R. 9495. This bill poses a dangerous threat to the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and must not pass the Senate. It grants any incoming administration unchecked authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of non-profit organizations without oversight or due process. Such government overreach is not what the Founding Fathers envisioned for our democracy. This bill undermines the principles of free speech and freedom of association, cornerstones of American liberty.
H.R. 9495 threatens to pave the way for political suppression, allowing the government to selectively target and shut down organizations based on ideological disagreements. This could affect any non-profit, including churches and conservative groups, as well as organizations that champion human rights and civil liberties. Regardless of political leanings, this bill sets a chilling precedent that no American patriot should support.
While situations relating to the hostages deserve careful attention, they can and should be addressed in a separate, narrowly tailored bill. H.R. 9495, however, is a broad, unconstitutional overreach that strikes at the heart of free speech and freedom. It is unpatriotic and incompatible with the values we hold dear as Americans.
I implore you to stand as a defender of liberty and uphold the rights of your constituents. Be a patriot, listen to the voice of the people, protect our God given right to free speech as Americans, and reject this dangerous legislation. Vote NO on H.R. 9495. Thank you, God Bless and God Bless America.”
Here’s that petition again:
Planet's Fucked: What Can You Do To Help? (Long Post)
Since nobody is talking about the existential threat to the climate and the environment a second Trump term/Republican government control will cause, which to me supersedes literally every other issue, I wanted to just say my two cents, and some things you can do to help. I am a conservation biologist, whose field was hit substantially by the first Trump presidency. I study wild bees, birds, and plants.
In case anyone forgot what he did last time, he gagged scientists' ability to talk about climate change, he tried zeroing budgets for agencies like the NOAA, he attempted to gut protections in the Endangered Species Act (mainly by redefining 'take' in a way that would allow corporations to destroy habitat of imperiled species with no ramifications), he tried to do the same for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (the law that offers official protection for native non-game birds), he sought to expand oil and coal extraction from federal protected lands, he shrunk the size of multiple national preserves, HE PULLED US OUT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT, and more.
We are at a crucial tipping point in being able to slow the pace of climate change, where we decide what emissions scenario we will operate at, with existential consequences for both the environment and people. We are also in the middle of the Sixth Mass Extinction, with the rate of species extinctions far surpassing background rates due completely to human actions. What we do now will determine the fate of the environment for hundreds or thousands of years - from our ability to grow key food crops (goodbye corn belt! I hated you anyway but), to the pressure on coastal communities that will face the brunt of sea level rise and intensifying extreme weather events, to desertification, ocean acidification, wildfires, melting permafrost (yay, outbreaks of deadly frozen viruses!), and a breaking down of ecosystems and ecosystem services due to continued habitat loss and species declines, especially insect declines. The fact that the environment is clearly a low priority issue despite the very real existential threat to so many people, is beyond my ability to understand. I do partly blame the public education system for offering no mandatory environmental science curriculum or any at all in most places. What it means is that it will take the support of everyone who does care to make any amount of difference in this steeply uphill battle.
There are not enough environmental scientists to solve these issues, not if public support is not on our side and the majority of the general public is either uninformed or actively hostile towards climate science (or any conservation science).
So what can you, my fellow Americans, do to help mitigate and minimize the inevitable damage that lay ahead?
I'm not going to tell you to recycle more or take shorter showers. I'll be honest, that stuff is a drop in the bucket. What does matter on the individual level is restoring and protecting habitat, reducing threats to at-risk species, reducing pesticide use, improving agricultural practices, and pushing for policy changes. Restoring CONNECTIVITY to our landscape - corridors of contiguous habitat - will make all the difference for wildlife to be able to survive a changing climate and continued human population expansion.
**Caveat that I work in the northeast with pollinators and birds so I cannot provide specific organizations for some topics, including climate change focused NGOs. Scientists on tumblr who specialize in other fields, please add your own recommended resources. **
We need two things: FUNDING and MANPOWER.
You may surprised to find that an insane amount of conservation work is carried out by volunteers. We don't ever have the funds to pay most of the people who want to help. If you really really care, consider going into a conservation-related field as a career. It's rewarding, passionate work.
At the national level, please support:
The Nature Conservancy
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Cornell Lab of Ornithology (including eBird)
National Audubon Society
Federal Duck Stamps (you don't need to be a hunter to buy one!)
These first four work to acquire and restore critical habitat, change environmental policy, and educate the public. There is almost certainly a Nature Conservancy-owned property within driving distance of you. Xerces plays a very large role in pollinator conservation, including sustainable agriculture, native bee monitoring programs, and the Bee City/Bee Campus USA programs. The Lab of O is one of the world's leaders in bird research and conservation. Audubon focuses on bird conservation. You can get annual memberships to these organizations and receive cool swag and/or a subscription to their publications which are well worth it. You can also volunteer your time; we need thousands of volunteers to do everything from conducting wildlife surveys, invasive species removal, providing outreach programming, managing habitat/clearing trails, planting trees, you name it. Federal Duck Stamps are the major revenue for wetland conservation; hunters need to buy them to hunt waterfowl but anyone can get them to collect!
THERE ARE DEFINITELY MORE, but these are a start.
Additionally, any federal or local organizations that seek to provide support and relief to those affected by hurricanes, sea level rise, any form of coastal climate change...
At the regional level:
These are a list of topics that affect major regions of the United States. Since I do not work in most of these areas I don't feel confident recommending specific organizations, but please seek resources relating to these as they are likely major conservation issues near you.
PRAIRIE CONSERVATION & PRAIRIE POTHOLE WETLANDS
DRYING OF THE COLORADO RIVER (good overview video linked)
PROTECTION OF ESTUARIES AND SALTMARSH, ESPECIALLY IN THE DELAWARE BAY AND LONG ISLAND (and mangroves further south, everglades etc; this includes restoring LIVING SHORELINES instead of concrete storm walls; also check out the likely-soon extinction of saltmarsh sparrows)
UNDAMMING MAJOR RIVERS (not just the Colorado; restoring salmon runs, restoring historic floodplains)
NATIVE POLLINATOR DECLINES (NOT honeybees. for fuck's sake. honeybees are non-native domesticated animals. don't you DARE get honeybee hives to 'save the bees')
WILDLIFE ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER (support the Mission Butterfly Center!)
INVASIVE PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES (this is everywhere but the specifics will differ regionally, dear lord please help Hawaii)
LOSS OF WETLANDS NATIONWIDE (some states have lost over 90% of their wetlands, I'm looking at you California, Ohio, Illinois)
INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE, esp in the CORN BELT and CALIFORNIA - this is an issue much bigger than each of us, but we can work incrementally to promote sustainable practices and create habitat in farmland-dominated areas. Support small, local farms, especially those that use soil regenerative practices, no-till agriculture, no pesticides/Integrated Pest Management/no neonicotinoids/at least non-persistent pesticides. We need more farmers enrolling in NRCS programs to put farmland in temporary or permanent wetland easements, or to rent the land for a 30-year solar farm cycle. We've lost over 99% of our prairies to corn and soybeans. Let's not make it 100%.
INDIGENOUS LAND-BACK EFFORTS/INDIGENOUS LAND MANAGEMENT/TEK (adding this because there have been increasing efforts not just for reparations but to also allow indigenous communities to steward and manage lands either fully independently or alongside western science, and it would have great benefits for both people and the land; I know others on here could speak much more on this. Please platform indigenous voices)
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (get your neighbors to stop dumping fertilizers on their lawn next to lakes, reduce agricultural runoff)
OCEAN PLASTIC (it's not straws, it's mostly commercial fishing line/trawling equipment and microplastics)
A lot of these are interconnected. And of course not a complete list.
At the state and local level:
You probably have the most power to make change at the local level!
Support or volunteer at your local nature centers, local/state land conservancy non-profits (find out who owns&manages the preserves you like to hike at!), state fish & game dept/non-game program, local Audubon chapters (they do a LOT). Participate in a Christmas Bird Count!
Join local garden clubs, which install and maintain town plantings - encourage them to use NATIVE plants. Join a community garden!
Get your college campus or city/town certified in the Bee Campus USA/Bee City USA programs from the Xerces Society
Check out your state's official plant nursery, forest society, natural heritage program, anything that you could become a member of, get plants from, or volunteer at.
Volunteer to be part of your town's conservation commission, which makes decisions about land management and funding
Attend classes or volunteer with your land grant university's cooperative extension (including master gardener programs)
Literally any volunteer effort aimed at improving the local environment, whether that's picking up litter, pulling invasive plants, installing a local garden, planting trees in a city park, ANYTHING. make a positive change in your own sphere. learn the local issues affecting your nearby ecosystems. I guarantee some lake or river nearby is polluted
MAKE HABITAT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. Biggest thing you can do. Use plants native to your area in your yard or garden. Ditch your lawn. Don't use pesticides (including mosquito spraying, tick spraying, Roundup, etc). Don't use fertilizers that will run off into drinking water. Leave the leaves in your yard. Get your school/college to plant native gardens. Plant native trees (most trees planted in yards are not native). Remove invasive plants in your yard.
On this last point, HERE ARE EASY ONLINE RESOURCES TO FIND NATIVE PLANTS and LEARN ABOUT NATIVE GARDENING:
Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Resource Center
Pollinator Pathway
Audubon Native Plant Finder
Homegrown National Park (and Doug Tallamy's other books)
National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder (clunky but somewhat helpful)
Heather Holm (for prairie/midwest/northeast)
MonarchGard w/ Benjamin Vogt (for prairie/midwest)
Native Plant Trust (northeast & mid-atlantic)
Grow Native Massachusetts (northeast)
Habitat Gardening in Central New York (northeast)
There are many more - I'm not familiar with resources for western states. Print books are your biggest friend. Happy to provide a list of those.
Lastly, you can help scientists monitor species using citizen science. Contribute to iNaturalist, eBird, Bumblebee Watch, or any number of more geographically or taxonomically targeted programs (for instance, our state has a butterfly census carried out by citizen volunteers).
In short? Get curious, get educated, get involved. Notice your local nature, find out how it's threatened, and find out who's working to protect it that you can help with. The health of the planet, including our resilience to climate change, is determined by small local efforts to maintain and restore habitat. That is how we survive this. When government funding won't come, when we're beat back at every turn trying to get policy changed, it comes down to each individual person creating a safe refuge for nature.
Thanks for reading this far. Please feel free to add your own credible resources and organizations.
Favorite Tumblr stories
All of the "humans are space orcs/space Australians"
But Especially the one that ends with "we're the Doctors Without Borders and we're here to help"
"can I ask you a question? ...what was your favorite thing to learn about as a kid?" Tiktok, in which I am both of them
Stabby the Roomba
Todd, the Demon Grandson and his myopic grandmother, and their seven season story arc
The God of Arepo (and the comic that was made from it)
New one: "may you have a life of safety and peace" said the witch, to the warrior, with his dying breath
And the SEQUEL
Concept: Pirates slay a monster mermaid to steal its treasure chest. Pirates open chest, finds a sleepy baby mermaid within. Monster mermaid was using the treasure chest as a cradle. Pirates: 😳😳😳
Cinderella and her face-blind prince
The comic, There Are No Nazis in Valhalla
Beau FUCKING Brummell and modern men's fashion
"I give regular Coke to skinny bitches who order diet hahahaha" DON'T DO THIS
This Irish hard-shoe dancer, Elizabeth Bullock
Big joy and small joy are the same
The bees will know: inkskinned honey jars
If fantasy creatures had Tumblr discourse
Ballerina Spiderman Miles Morales: "don't YEET the ballerina"
Steve Rogers wakes up "in the hospital"
The "Miette post" & its spiritual successors
Batman + Bruce Wayne "the butts match"
What if Bruce Wayne met Zuko? And Iroh met Alfred, and...
Venus of Willendorf and other paleolithic goddess/fertility figures sculpted by women using their own body as model
Living in a city with superheroes. (3 parts so far!
The A-ha Take On Me dancers tik tok
Chickens will sit on any egg if broody enough. Even an orphaned dragon egg (how DID that get in the brood box?)
Dragon stories from @microsff
Gonna pin this one and start adding links and updates.
some cool characters i like ig!!! :DD
here’s my actual answer LOL /hj
I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!
(save the images to zoom in on the pics)
IT TOOK LONG ENOUGH BUT HERE IT IS
HOW TO BURN YOUR OWN CDS AT HOME
It’s a PDF so it should be easy to read. Please let me know if there’s anything i can change or fix!!
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