2011 Summer Recruit Class Orientation and Course Syllabus
ARCVLSC Recruit Packet 2011 Online Ed

ARC_RECRUIT_Application_for_Membership.doc
ARC_RECRUIT_Application_for_Membership.doc

ARC_Recruit_Training_Informed_Consent_Form.doc
ARC_Recruit_Training_Informed_Consent_Form.doc

More Recruit Resources
Recruit Resources

Beach Practice Manual/Standard Operating Procedures
Beach Practice Manual

Standard Administrative Procedures
Standard Administrative Procedures

ARCVLSC Bylaws
Bylaws

Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct

American Red Cross
Confidential Information and Intellectual Property Agreement for Volunteers
ARC_Conf_Inf__Int_Prop_Agree

ARC_Harassment_Free_Workplace_Policy
ARC_Harassment_Free_Workplace_Policy

ARC_Northeast_Florida_Chapter_Code_of_Ethics.doc
ARC_Northeast_Florida_Chapter_Code_of_Ethics.doc

ARC_Record_Check_Authorization.doc
ARC_Record_Check_Authorization.doc

ARC_Surfman_Acknowledgement.doc
ARC_Surfman_Acknowledgement.doc

ARC_Surfman_Information.doc
ARC_Surfman_Information.doc

MEN_AND_WOMEN_OF_THE_ARCVLSC.doc
MEN_AND_WOMEN_OF_THE_ARCVLSC.doc

Practical Beach Practice ?’s

Beach Practice Questions
David Stearns, Hammurabi, s1964, w1993

The guard on the tower next to you stands up, arms to the side. What do you do?
The guard on the tower next to you stands up and waves his arms. What do you do?
You are preparing to wave/throw your flag. Should you blow your whistle first? Are you required to blow your whistle first?
You are sitting under your umbrella and you see a bather in possible distress. What do you do?
You spot a 4 to 5 year old child in knee deep water (for an adult) with no adult near by. What do you do?
The previous guard on your tower has pulled the tower east of a tidal pool where there are now several children playing. What do you do?
A hysterical mother runs up to your tower and points to the water directly in front of you and screams “I just lost my child, I last saw him/her in the water”. What do you do?
It’s 10 minutes before the hour. A calm 8 year old child walks up and tells you he/she can’t find his/her parents. What do you do? If you have a radio, what is the signal?
What is the longest time you should take before returning to an endpoint in scanning? Answer: 20 seconds. N> 5secs TOWER 5secs>S
N<5secs TOWER <5secsS
This is a rule of thumb. There is no official end point scanning time.
What is the most challenging surf to guard, high, medium, or flat? Why?
When you are riding the truck on the beach, why should you be watching the water?
Why should you be mentally checking off the towers as you go by on the guard change?
If you are on North North, why might you call to the station, “I’m relying on a 10-5 (flag relay) from Edgewater for Plummer’s Hotel”?
If you have enough help or are able to move it by yourself, are you allowed to move a large tower to the water’s edge without waiting for the truck?
How long does it take for the average bather to get from waist deep water back to their blanket on the beach? Answer: About 30 seconds. This is a good self check to see if you are watching your water or daydreaming without being aware of it.
What are the 3 biggest challenges to effective lifeguard scanning? Answer: Boredom, daydreaming, and distractions. After you have been guarding for a while, complacency can be a problem too.
What is the mantra of the tower guard? Answer: “Watch your water, watch the flags, KEEP YOUR HEAD MOVING.”
Name at least 2 systems for scanning your water.
When there are too many bathers in the water to look at them all, look for things out of the ordinary.
A bather comes up and asks to hang their clothes on your tower. What do you tell them?
A bather asks if you would hold their watch or keys. What do you tell them?
How can binoculars help you scan?
What do you always ask a victim of jellyfish or man of war sting?
A jellyfish sting victim tells you they are allergic to bee stings. What do you do?
You are sitting Plummers Hotel on a busy medium surf day. You see 3 adults in a runout just inside Neptune Beach. As you blow your whistle, they are swept out in the run out. What do you do? What do you do if you see the Neptune guard respond?
You are sitting Peg and Blue Waters or 8th Avenue North drops. What do you do?
You are sitting Davis Seashell and you see a bather in trouble in Edgewater’s water. What do you do?
On a hot summer day, low surf and a west wind, a 10 year old child loses her raft to the wind. She swims after it. What do you do?
What is the danger of the west wind?
Why are runouts particularly bad after a Northeaster? What other phenomenon tends to create runouts?
What are the 3 main types of currents in our area?
You are on an off hour at the station and you have a tower coming up. Where should you be at 5 till the hour?
If you are carrying more than 2 buoys, is it OK to drag the buoy ropes?
When can you put a metal buoy on the sand?
What is the station phone #? Emergency/Business #? What alphabet prefix did 24 stand for back in the day?
What was our old radio call sign?
Where in the surf does most of the activity occur? Why should you not fixate on this area?
Why is it important to scan the horizon occasionally?
Why is it a good idea to sleep at the station on Saturday night?
Why is the 10 to 10 rule important?
Why is it important to get a good night’s sleep before a guard day?
How many and what kind of clocks should you set Saturday night?
Why is it often a good idea to take off your buoy and cast it away from you when bringing in a victim when you get to knee deep or less surf?
You are on Edgewater at the end of the day. The truck is at Plummers hotel going south and flashing its lights at Davis Seashell. What do you do? The truck is past Davis and flashing its lights. What do you do?
When can you get off your tower on a Corps guard day (without throwing your flag)? Answer: On the guard change, 10-7, electrical activity, to treat a minor first aid case or warn bathers of conditions if the water is not busy, for a W-1, to move your tower to the water’s edge, to prevent a loose surfboard from injuring a bather, if there are 2 guards on the tower, for a W-3 ( your buoy falls off, etc.), to talk to nearby bathers about water conditions (take radio). Always take a buoy and radio if you have one, and let the guards next to you know you are off your tower, if possible.
You see an unattended boogie board floating near the water’s edge. What do you do?
What is a blanket wave?
How do you signal the truck to stop when it is driving past your tower?
How do you signal the driver to stop if you are on the back of the truck?
Why do we burn a hat?
What are more than 50% of the charge sheets for?
What was the speed limit when the public was permitted to drive on the beach? Beach driving for the general public in Jax Bch was banned in 1979. Answer: 15 mph.
Why do you need to pay special attention to your flag, when the winds are variable?
If the wind is putting your flag pole at risk of breaking, what can you do? Answer: Wrap your flag 1/3 of the way around the pole.
What does it mean when the flag is placed horizontally on the seat of the lifeguard chair?
Which of the 4 surfmen off the back of the truck usually gets to the case first?
Where should the strongest swimmer(s) in a buoy chain be?
Who is in charge in the water when the 4 responding guards get to the case?
Why do you usually enter the water upstream from your victim?
Which guard is perceived by the public to be the most alert? Standing, sitting, or slouching?
Name the dangers of the pier.
How many “Aw shucks” does it take to cancel 100 “Attaboys”?
How long do you wait to speak after keying the mike, if you are using an 800 mhz radio system? Why is this important?
What do you do if you hear a beeping noise when you key the mike?
Why do you rely on a 10-5 for a tower you are responsible for watching? Who do you notify?
How did old NN and SS, when the stands were on poles, communicate to the station?
Why is it useful to use alpha level brain wave activity while scanning your water? Answer: It expands your peripheral vision, increases awareness, and conserves energy. Also, you can calm yourself by slow, deep (abdominal) breathing and by placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, as far back as is comfortable.
Why do you take a buoy on a land case? What do you do with your other buoy?
Why do we keep most bathers in chest deep water or less?
Is “Blow before you go” a requirement or a courtesy?
Is there a leash law for surfboards in Jacksonville Beach? How can you enforce it?
You are on Mac’s Shack on a day crowded with swimmers and surfers. A surfer loses his (leash less) board and it washes in near your tower, narrowly missing a small child. What do you do?
Why is it a good idea to have an extra whistle and sunglasses in your locker? Why is it a good idea to wear a hat with a brim? (It can take 20 years or more for sun damage to the skin to take effect)
What features do you want in your sunglasses? Answer: UVA-UVB protection (100%, if possible), Polarized, wraparound, amber color is easiest on the eyes and allows more visibility in overcast conditions.
What Corps member ran the last official beltline on the beach in his Corps uniform in the Winter of 1998?
Who was the last recruit to run the last official beltline?
Who were the first two female members and what class were they in?
Who can split a guard on Sundays?
You are on duty on a Corps day at the station at 15 minutes to the hour. You have Peg next. The buzzer rings. Should you get on the truck for a case if there are enough other people to go?
Who is allowed to wear the Walters’ torpedo buoy insignia?
Who is allowed to wear a Corps suit?
Whose footprint is in the hallway by the girls locker room?
When you reach a victim on an ocean rescue, why do you always ask, “Is there anyone out here with you?”
How can you tell if a bather who is face down in the water needs help? Answer: Take a shallow breath and hold it . If you have to exhale before the bather raises his/her head, go get him/her. Source: Matt Duffy.
Why are Sea Ranch and Pablo Ramp sometimes courtesy relays? (At the discretion of the mate and OD)
If you have a possible case, should you fixate on it and ignore the flags and other bathers in your water?
Why do the mates sometimes tell the Pablo Ramp and the Sea Ranch guard to walk down to the tower by 5 ’til?
What are the City ordinances regarding jet skis?
You are on your tower. There is an unresponsive homeless person in the dunes. What do you do?
You are on your tower. There is a person sitting in ankle deep surf with a crowd of people standing around. What do you do?
Who was the first woman to retire from the Lifesaving Corps with an asterisk?
Who was the first woman to retire from the Corps w/o an asterisk?
I am driving behind you down Beach Boulevard on the way to a party. An accident occurs in front of us. If you don’t stop, can I charge you?
Who were the first male and female lifeguards to be married to each other?
Who were the first sisters to become Jax Beach lifeguards?