Not On My Watch: Lifeguard Rotations & Breaks

Lifeguards protect the safety and wellbeing of everyone in your pool or waterfront. Yet in order to do so, they need to be focused and vigilantly scanning the water. One of the key ways to ensure this happens is by making sure that lifeguards are rotating positions every 15-30 minutes, and that they are taking a ten minute break every hour during their shift.

Not only does taking breaks and rotating positions mean guards are able to refresh their attention, but it also means that each area of responsibility is getting a fresh perspective—meaning one guard may spot something that the other has not. If you are unable to staff all of your positions, or allow lifeguards adequate breaks, you may need to close the pool, or sections of the pool, to allow lifeguards the opportunity to take a break.

Below are three ways to ensure that your lifeguard rotations are effectively implemented:

Proper Positioning: When completing rotations, it is important that guards are rotating between defined positions that have been tested and validated as being optimal for both rescue readiness and visibility.
Alert Guards of Rotations: Create a system that prompts guards when it is time to rotate. For example, this could be an alarm that goes off, or simply an aquatics director that comes on deck to prompt this process. Practice rotations during in-service training so that everyone is familiar and knows what is expected of them.
Investigate In & Out: When rotating, it is important that lifeguards are investigating in and out of their positions. This ensures that there is not a temporary lapse in scanning as responsibility is handed over. Below is a brief description of what that entails. You can also watch an example of a proper rotation on our website.

Investigate In: The incoming guard walks around the area of responsibility that they are taking over, and fully investigates the water—scanning from the bottom to the top—to ensure that the water they are taking over is free and clear of any hazard or victim.
Change of Guard: Once the incoming guard arrives at their new position, they should then actively guard the pool as the outgoing guard gets off the stand. During this time, the outgoing guard should communicate any concerns they have about their area of responsibility.
Investigate Out: Once the incoming guard is in place, the outgoing guard should walk the pool area they are leaving, scanning the water from the bottom to the top, making sure the water they are leaving is clear.

In-Service Topic of the Week

Topic: Singularly Focused Lifeguards
It is extremely important that all lifeguards are singularly focused and not being distracted by personal or secondary activities. This is especially true while lifeguards are rotating—using it as a time to aggressively scan their new area of responsibility. We have created a scenario for you to use with your teams that will allow you to practice staying singularly focused during rotations.

If you’d like your teams to receive our aquatics safety content, including our summer series: Not On My Watch, please forward them this email and encourage them to subscribe.

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