Red Cross Safety Training for Swim Coaches

The American Red Cross Safety Training for Swim Coaches course is designed to fulfill the coaching requirements of USA Swimming. As well as swim coaches, it's also offered to athletic trainers, officials and recreational managers. The curriculum differs from pure water rescue courses. Safety training for swim coaches is a comprehensive study of how to prevent and respond to emergencies that can occur during practices and competitive meets.

Objective

• Safety Training for Swim Coaches is designed to educate swim coaches and other aquatics professionals on how to respond to emergencies in or near the pool. Emergencies may include a variety of scenarios that not only affect athletes, but also spectators at practices and events. Many accidents during swim practices and meets can be minimized or eliminated by following the Safety Training for Swim Coaches program.

Injury Prevention and Response

• Many concepts and practices developed during safety training address the prevention of accidents or injuries. During the safety awareness in competitive swimming section, the focus is directed on injury prevention. Coaches are taught to carefully consider how they design their training plans and practices. For example, they should increase training intensity gradually, rather than push too hard early in training, which can cause overuse injury. Another section, common injuries and medical conditions, addresses how to identify and respond to spinal injuries, hypothermia, heat-related conditions, asthma, seizures and swimming-related injuries.

Accident Prevention and Response

• Emergencies faced by training participants are not limited to swimming-related injuries. Injuries can occur on the swim deck, in locker rooms and spectator areas. Swimmers can easily fall on slippery pool decks, or trip over equipment, for example. Topics in this section also include electrical safety around water; water and air quality standards; weather and environmental concerns; and facility safety issues.

Coaching Ethics

• Coaching ethics is one of the four core topics of the safety training for swim coaches program. Responsible coaches should have professional conduct, know the rules of the sport, ensure the equipment used by athletes is safe, and practice good sportsmanship. Their job is to create a fun, safe atmosphere for athletes and spectators. The ethics portion of safety training also addresses legal responsibilities and issues with sexual misconduct and abuse.

Certification

• Individuals who have successfully completed a USA Swimming-approved lifeguarding course only need to successfully complete an online written test for certification because they have already demonstrated water rescue skills. A Fast Track option is available for individuals whose lifeguarding certification has expired. Fast Track option applicants must complete a pool skills session where they demonstrate water rescue skills to an instructor. A score of 80 percent or better is required to pass the written exam. Upon successful completion of either option, participants receive a certification card valid for three years.