Lifeguard Training Resources

Ongoing Lifeguard training checklists

These checklists are a valuable resource for trainers to enable on-going lifeguard training to be recorded accurately and compactly within Approved Training Centres and can help to identify areas of weakness.

The Life Support and Extended Life Support checklists provide a comprehensive step-by-step guide to each treatment which is also useful to lifeguards as a revision aid.

Please note: these checklists are not intended as examination checklists.

All documents are in PDF format. To read them you will need the Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded free by clicking on the link below:

• Basic Life Support (43kb, PDF)
  - includes: Adult/Child/Baby CPR, Adult CPR near drowning), CPR with suspected SCI, casualty handling and choking (adult, child and baby).
  • Version 3.1: Updated to 2005 resuscitation protocols, September 2006
• Extended Life Support (43kb, PDF)
  - includes: first lifeguard on scene, AED set up, O2 set up, manual suction and theory understanding.
  • Version 3.1: Updated to 2005 resuscitation protocols, September 2006
• First Aid (43kb, PDF)
  - includes: ability to recognise and manage first aid conditions, principles of casualty examination / communication / handling, practical demonstrations of wound dressing, application of slings and cervical neck collars, six spaces for first aid incidents.
  • Version 2.3, revised January 2005.

• Beach Lifeguard Theory (43kb, PDF)
  - includes: beach/ocean safety, principles of lifeguard administration, working with other agencies, communications, site specific.
  • Version 2.4, revised January 2005.
• Beach Lifeguard Open Water Rescue Skills (43kb, PDF)
  - includes NBLQ Issue 3, version 1 assessment syllabus rescues with the option to write in times, additional skills and team incidents skills list.
  • Version 3.1, revised January 2005.

Training Handouts

• DRS ABC CBA (43kb, PDF)
  - DRS ABSTRACT is dead, long live DRS ABC CBA: easy to remember sequence for new BLS protocols.
• Lifeguard Crib Sheets 1-3 (171kb, 3 pages)
  - A collection of abbreviations and aides d'memoire (some more useful than others!) you may come across as a lifeguard.
  Sheet 1: First Aid and Life Support
  Sheet 2: General Lifeguard Operations and Theory
  Sheet 3: Lifeguard Related Organisations
  • Version 1.1, Revised 25 July 2005