Keeping Watch: Lifeguards Protect Swimmers All Summer Long
As the summer sun draws families to the water, lifeguards in San Diego Country Estates are hard at work ensuring safety and fun at both the Ramona Oaks Pool and the San Vicente Resort Pool.
The trained professionals monitoring our community pools are much more than whistle-blowers; they’re the first line of defense in preventing accidents and making sure the pools are a safe space for swimmers of all ages.
“This is the second year that I have been the aquatic director and the fourth or fifth year I have been working here overall,” says Aquatic Director Heather Holden. She oversees 24 lifeguards, whose ages range from 16 to 22. There are morning, afternoon, and eight-hour all-day shifts, and there are always two lifeguards present at each pool. At both pools, lifeguards rotate through stations consistently to keep their minds and bodies moving, scanning the water constantly and always ready to respond in seconds. Every 15 minutes, the lifeguard in the rove station will walk a lap around the pool, and the guard in the tower will switch to the rove station.
Holden is Lifeguard Instructor (LGI) Certified. She started as a lifeguard herself and moved up to head guard, then to supervisor. When choosing lifeguards, she looks for strong swimmers who are dedicated, professional, and responsible.
Lifeguard trainings are held every Saturday, and lifeguards are required to attend two every month to keep their skills sharp. During their 2-day training, SDCE lifeguards must do a “brick test,” which requires them to swim from the shallow end of the pool to the deep end and retrieve a 5-pound weight at the bottom. Then they must swim to the top and hold the brick out of the water while swimming on their back to the other end of the pool. Lifeguards must also swim 200 yards nonstop. In addition, they are trained and certified in entry, water rescue techniques, CPR, and first aid.
According to Holden, the lifeguards perform a lot of first aid assistance, including treating nose bleeds and bee stings, and providing preventive care. These young professionals enforce rules before accidents happen and focus on prevention. They stop incidents before more extreme measures are required, such as deep-water extraction or responding to a head or neck injury.
Lifeguards also monitor pool capacity, check water quality, and make sure all safety equipment is in place and ready to go. They play an essential role in swim lessons, water aerobics, and family swim events, and often end up being mentors to young children. Lifeguards go through a checklist every morning and night, ensuring the deck is cleared and checking water quality. If the water looks hazy or they can’t see the bottom of the pool, the lifeguards report it to Holden or the maintenance team.
At Ramona Oaks Pool, the summer session is in full swing, with swim lessons in the morning and open swim in the afternoons. Campers from the rec center also visit the Ramona Oaks Pool as part of SDCE ImagiCamp. Meanwhile, the San Vicente Resort Pool offers a fun atmosphere, often attracting lap swimmers, families, and resort guests.
Both pools follow strict safety protocols. The typical day for an SDCE lifeguard consists of a lot of rule enforcement and scanning the pool. Lifeguards keep a close eye on children and ensure that all swimmers follow posted rules, including no running and no diving in shallow areas. In the summer, Ramona Oaks Pool can have as many as 40 kids in the pool during camp hours, so lifeguards will count the camp kids and patrons to ensure everyone is in view and safe. Ramona Oaks pool capacity is 90, and the San Vicente Resort pool is 120.
Holden spends a lot of her time overseeing lifeguards and making sure they are in their scheduled areas, while also ensuring they are rotating positions and not in one place for too long. She is proud of all of the lifeguards this season. She has seen them step up to their responsibilities and take pride in their jobs by ensuring the safety of everyone on the pool decks.
Whether they’re jumping in to assist a struggling swimmer, applying first aid to a scraped knee, or giving high fives to kids learning to swim, SDCE lifeguards are the unsung heroes of the summer.
