Lifeguard

Description

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS PARKS AND RECREATION SERVICE AREA POSITION DESCRIPTION

(NON-EXEMPT)

Approved By:________________________ Date of Review:________________

Position Title: Lifeguard

Position Characteristics: Non-seasonal and/or seasonal, part-time, no benefits.

Weekdays, evenings, Saturdays, Sundays, holidays.

Department: Aquatics

Reporting Relationships:

Position Reports To: Aquatic Supervisor/Head Guard

Positions Directly Supervised: None

Position Purpose:

Responsible for ensuring the safety of patrons in and around the pool. Monitor swimmers, enforce safety rules, and respond to accidents or situations requiring assistance. Maintain cleanliness of the pool area and decks and ensure that all hazards are removed. Monitor chemicals in pools. Complete safety reports and records as required and ensures that positive relations are maintained with the public. 

Nature and Scope:

The position requires good human relations skills. Attentiveness, responsibility, strong swimming abilities, and skill in using effective water rescue and life saving techniques are necessary for the successful execution of this position. Basic skills in CPR, rescue breathing, and other basic first aid techniques are also necessary. 

Essential Functions and Basic Duties:

1. Assumes responsibility for the effective performance of Lifeguard duties.
2. Supervise swimmers in the pool and on decks. Notices and is aware of each patron’s swimming ability and the amount of supervision they need.
3. Enforce rules and regulations of the Center. Report safety problems and hazards to appropriate personnel.
4. Provide first aid, CPR, and assistance in and out of the water as necessary.
5. Prepare records, accident reports, and other administrative paperwork. Complete first aid forms, fills in first aid check-off sheet weekly, and make nightly notes. Fill out location sheet for water rescues.
6. Maintain pool area by putting in and taking out lane lines, cleaning decks, covering and uncovering the pool, and cleaning drains. Remove all unnecessary equipment from the pool area.
7. Check and record pool chemicals to determine appropriate levels. 

1. Assume responsibility for establishing and maintaining positive relations with patrons.
2. Assist and support patrons in a positive and productive manner.
3. Respond to questions and concerns promptly.
4. Stay alert and attentive constantly while on duty.
5. Handle safety violators tactfully.

1. Assumes responsibility for establishing and maintaining effective working relations with area personnel and with management.
2. Attend all staff meetings and in-service training sessions.
3. Assist other lifeguards and area personnel as necessary. Stay aware of other lifeguard chairs and areas of responsibility.
4. Provide input for Aquatic area planning. Discuss problems and concerns in Team Leader meetings.
5. Keep management well informed of area activities and of any significant problems.

1. Assumes responsibility for other duties as assigned.
2. Take written/physical tests as required.
3. Stay current in all required safety certifications and updates.
4. Attend all scheduled aquatic in-service training sessions.
5. Maintain required swimming fitness levels.

Performance Measurements:

1. Patrons are provided a safe and well-monitored pool area. Established rules and regulations are enforced. 
2. Swimmers are supervised appropriately.
3. Pool and decks are clean and well-maintained. Closing procedures are completed properly.
4. Positive relations exist with patrons and the public.
5. Safety certifications are kept current. First aid and rescue skills are effectively utilized. 
6. Personnel are well-supported and management is informed of activities and significant concerns. 

Qualifications:

Training/Education/Certification:

• Current American Red Cross First Aid, American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer, and Lifeguard Training Certification.
• Able to pass Center prepared swim test.
• Approved Criminal Background Investigation if over 18 years of age.

Required Knowledge:

• Working knowledge of lifesaving techniques including backboard rescue.

Experience Required:

• At least 16 years old (Junior Lifeguard – 15 years old).
• Forty hours of lifeguard training and four hours of shadow lifeguarding.
• Nine hours of CPR training.
• Three hours of First Aid training.

Skills/Abilities:

• Strong swimming and life-saving abilities.
• Good human relations and communications skills.
• Ability to work with a team.
• Problem solving skills.
• Alert, attentive, and responsible. 

Physical Activities and Requirements of this Position:

Climbing: Including ladders, scaffolding, ramps, poles, etc. Amount and type of climbing is more than that needed for ordinary movement. 

Balancing: May involve walking, standing, crouching on narrow, slippery or moving surfaces.

Stooping: Bending downward and forward at the waist. Requires full use of lower extremities and back muscles.

Kneeling: Resting on knee(s).

Crouching: Bending downward and forward at the leg and spine.

Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

Standing: For extended time periods.

Walking: For short periods of time.

Pushing: Using upper body to press against something with steady force.

Pulling: Using upper body to draw, drag, haul, or tug objects.

Lifting: Occurs frequently and requires substantial use of upper body and back muscles.

Grasping: Using fingers and palm on an object.

Feeling: Perceiving sensual characteristics of objects including size, shape, texture, temperature, etc., through touch.

Talking: Especially where one must frequently convey detailed or important instructions or ideas accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Hearing: Able to hear average or normal conversations and receive ordinary information.

Seeing: Average, ordinary, vision acuity necessary to prepare or inspect documents or products, or operate machinery. Depth perception and/or field of vision.

Physical Strength: Medium work, exerting up to lbs. occasionally, and/or up to 20 lbs. frequently, and 10 lbs. constantly. 

Working Conditions:

• Work both inside and outside, subject to weather.
• Must work in extreme heat for more than an hour (temperatures above 100 degrees).
• Must work in a very noisy environment requiring workers to shout to communicate.
• Must work under hazardous conditions including high places, chemical exposures, electrical current, moving machinery, exposure to blood, etc.
• The worker is subject fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation that could affect the skin or respiratory system. 

Mental Activities and Requirements of this Position:

General Education-Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved instructions and to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables.

General Education-Mathematics Ability: No math skills are required for the position.

General Education-Language Ability: Ability to recognize the meaning of 2,500 (2 and 3 syllable) words. To read at a very slow rate, to compare similarities and differences between words and between series of numbers, ability to print and communicate in simple sentences. 

Intent and Function of Job Descriptions:

Job descriptions assist organizations in ensuring that the hiring process is fairly administered and that qualified employees are selected. They are also essential to an effective appraisal system and related promotion, transfer, layoff, and terminations decisions. Well-constructed job descriptions are an integral part of any effective compensation system. 

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determines to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

Job descriptions are not intended to and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason no prohibited by law.