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YORKTOWN, N.Y. - The Yorktown Parks & Recreation Department is offering the new American Red Cross course to be a certified lifeguard in New York State.
Following completion of the $420 course, certifications for waterfront lifeguarding, which include first aid and CPR for the professional rescuer with AED, will be issued.
On the first day, participants will have to pass an entrance test consisting of a continuous 550-yard swim, a 20-yard swim with a surface dive to retrieve a 10 pound brick, resurfacing with the brick, swimming 20 yards on back using legs only and exiting the pool in 100 seconds, and a 15-yard underwater swim.
The first session consists of 14 classes and runs through May 23. The sessions are held from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School. The second session starts July 9 and runs through July 26 at the Brian J. Slavin Aquatics Facility.
A lifeguard recertification course is also offered from June 4 to 9 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. one Saturday) at Copper Beech. The fee is $225.
For further information, call the parks & rec department at (914) 245-1608.
Comments (1)
A thought came to mind while reading this article and that is to see if we could find a way to offer this course for free to any and all HS students. Offering this course to those that may not be interested in working as a lifeguard during the summer may just save a life. They may never have a need to use these skills (hopefully) but if there ever did come a time when they needed it they may just save a life...that life could be your's, mine, our children's or someone we will never know. But if they saved just one life the cost would be well worth it. Can the Daily Yorktown or other local business or community member help in organizing this effort?