The American Red Cross is releasing an update to their Lifeguarding curriculum on February 6, 2024. Lots of questions have come through my inbox about this update. Ruby Outdoors has been preparing for the update since the fall and while there are still some questions I don’t have answers to, I want to address a handful of the most common questions as we approach the release.
PLEASE NOTE: From here on out, I will refer to the NEW curriculum coming on February 6, 2024 as “r.24” [revised 2024] and the previous curriculum as “r.17” [revised 2017].
Lifeguarding questions
New update? Does this mean my r.17 lifeguarding certificate is no good as of next week? Do I need to take an updated class before I lifeguard and am on surveillance duty?
Your current certification is valid for the time listed on your certificate. That date is not affected by this update. However, the next lifeguarding class you take will likely be using the new curriculum, especially if you take your class after August 31, 2024.
What’s changing? Will there be new rescue techniques?
I don’t know. I’ll update this section of the blog as soon as I have a clear understanding of what is changing. A few changes for r.24 that have been previewed so far from the American Red Cross:
A focus on surveillance and more practice with a roving surveillance station
Increased skill practice time
Custom training for non-surf aquatic environments
Administering Emergency Oxygen offered as a skill boost to Lifeguarding course (TBD if that will require an additional fee)
New Blended Learning recertification courses for lifeguards incorporates adaptive learning
To sum it up from what I have seen from the info released from the Red Cross so far, I am anticipating the curriculum updates to be centered around updating the process of how the Lifeguarding class is run rather than significant curriculum changes. Sure, there will likely be some new elements or adjustments, but I don’t know yet what those will be.
Are there any changes to the prerequisites?
Yes! I do know that one change that is for sure is an adjustment to the prerequisites for the Lifeguarding (Deep Water) course. They have shortened the length of the long swim to 200m and combined it with the 2-minute, no-hand tread. There has not been information released on how the Waterfront Skills add-on prerequisites may or may not be changing. Here is how the new prerequisite for the Lifeguarding course reads:
Course Prerequisites
To participate in the Lifeguarding (Including Deep Water) course, participants must:
1. Be at least 15 years old on or before the final scheduled session of the Lifeguarding course.
2. Successfully complete the two prerequisite swimming skills evaluations:
Prerequisite 1: Complete a swim-tread-swim sequence without stopping to rest:
Jump into the water and totally submerge, resurface then swim 150 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both. (Swimming on the back or side is not permitted. Swim goggles are allowed)
Maintain position at the surface of the water for 2 minutes by treading water using only the legs
Swim 50 yards using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both
Prerequisite 2: Complete a timed event within 1 minute, 40 seconds:
Starting in the water, swim 20 yards. (The face may be in or out of the water. Swim goggles are not allowed).
As soon as I have clarity on what is happening with the Waterfront prerequisites, you will see Ruby Outdoors also release a resource that you can distribute to your new or recertifying lifeguards with workouts they can do at their local pool. This will help them prior to arriving at camp to prepare them for their prerequisites at your camp’s lifeguarding course.
Updated 02/07/2024: Here is the updated information for the waterfront prerequisites:
You must complete the following sequence:
Jump into the water from the side, totally submerge, recover to the surface and swim 350 yards.
After swimming 350 yards, maintain position at the surface of the water without support for 2 minutes by treading.
After maintaining position at the surface of the water for2 minutes, swim 200 more yards.
While swimming, you must swim continuously, keeping your face in the water and demonstrating good breath control. You may use the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both. Swimming on the back or side is not permitted. Swim goggles are allowed.
While treading, you can only use your legs. Place your hands under your armpits. Your head must remain above the surface of the water.
[Brick test and ring dive remain the same from previous years].
Will there still be blended learning and entirely instructor-led training options?
Yes! AND, with this update, the American Red Cross is reintroducing “recertification” classes. The Lifeguarding (Deep Water) Recertification class is listed as having a minimum class time of 9 hours and 15 minutes (not including online learning time if you do blended learning which is usually between 6-8 hours) compared to the Lifeguarding (Deep Water) certification class of 27.5 hours.
The blended learning course for the recertification class will be adaptive to the learner based on their knowledge and pre-lesson skill assessments. I have found this is a feature that students really appreciate in their blended learning courses because it allows them to move through online content quickly if the material is fresh and well-known to them while also allowing them to view any lessons they want a refresher on.
How will this change classes offered by Ruby Outdoors at camps during the pre-season training period?
Not sure yet. Once I have had a chance to review the curriculum and run a course or two this spring before pre-camp training time, I will be in touch with my camp clients to highlight what they can expect to be different and what won’t change. Any critical updates that feel notable for the industry will be posted about on this blog.
Which curriculum should be taught at my camp this summer in 2024?
The American Red Cross is allowing the r.17 curriculum to be taught through August 31, 2024 so you can choose to remain on the current system through this summer season.
However, I am advising my camps to go ahead and update to the new curriculum for their lifeguarding classes this year. Ruby Outdoors plans to update next week and then to exclusively be teaching r.24 classes. If you will have a mix of lifeguards trained under r.17 and lifeguards trained under r.24, please be sure to prioritize time during your pre-camp training to go over what rescues and surveillance they will be using at your facility this summer so all guards are on the same page for your summer season. Please note if you are ACA accredited, part of your compliance demonstration is that you document skills verification with your guards each summer anyway so this is a GREAT time to knock that get-everyone-on-the-same-page task. Questions about American Camp Association accreditation? Email me at ruby@rubyoutdoors.com and let’s look at it together.
Instructor and instructor trainer questions
For those of you that are Lifeguarding Instructors or Instructor Trainers, here are some specific questions that you may be wondering about. Look first for the statement of the four below that applies to you:
I’m currently certified as an LGI (r.17) and my instructor certification expires after August 31, 2024.
You can teach r.17 up until August 31, 2024.
If you choose to update before this summer, prior to teaching the r.24 curriculum, all you MUST do is take the online Lifeguarding update. This course is approximately 8 hours of online learning.
You MUST take the online Lifeguarding Update by August 31, 2024. If you DO NOT take the update, your LGI certification will be considered expired on August 31, 2024 because the r.17 curriculum will no longer be offered.
After taking the online Lifeguarding Update, you will be issued a new LGI certificate that will be good for one year. Then during that one year, you MUST take a Lifeguarding Instructor / Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer Recertification course which will be in-person. Upon completion of that course, you will be issued a r.24 Lifeguarding Instructor certificate valid for two years.
I am taking an LGI course after February 6, 2024. This is my initial LGI certification.
Congratulations! That’s awesome. Upon course completion, you will receive an r.24 Lifeguarding Instructor certificate that is good for 2 years. You are all set to teach r.24 and no other updates / admin pieces are needed until you need to recertify in 2 years.
To be clear, as soon as r.24 is released, all instructor and instructor trainer level courses will be the r.24 version. Instructor trainers are not allowed to teach r.17 instructor courses as of February 6, 2024.
I am a currently certified LGI (r.17) and my instructor certification expires between February 6 and August 31, 2024.
You can only teach lifeguarding while your instructor certification is current. Once your instructor certification is expired, you cannot teach any lifeguarding courses.
To be eligible to teach, you MUST take the limited-edition Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification course before either December 31, 2024 OR before 1-year after your instructor certification expiration date–whichever one comes first. [Another way to say this is you are no longer eligible for “recertification” if your LGI/LGIT is more than 1 year expired]
This limited edition LGI recertification course will both update you to r.24 AND recertify you as an instructor. It combines both the online update and the in-person LGI Recertification (the r.24 equivalent to the r.17 LGI Review course).
Upon completion of the limited-edition Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification course, you will receive a r.24 Lifeguarding Instructor certificate that is valid for two years. Then, you are set to teach r.24 and no other updates / admin pieces are needed until you need to recertify in 2 years.
What if my LGI expired between February 6, 2023* and February 6, 2024?
You may be in luck if you want to certify as an LGI without having to take a full LGI class again! While this update process is ongoing, you have a one-year grace period from your expiration date to re-enter the American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor world!
To update and earn a current r.24 LGI certificate, you MUST take the limited-edition Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification course by no later than 1-year after your instructor certification expiration date or before December 31, 2024, whichever comes first. [Another way to say this is you are no longer eligible for “recertification” if your LGI/LGIT is more than 1 year expired]
This limited edition LGI recertification course will both update you to r.24 AND recertify you as an instructor. It combines both the online update and the in-person LGI recertification (the r.24 equivalent to the r.17 LGI Review course).
Upon completion of the limited-edition Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification course, you will receive a r.24 Lifeguarding Instructor certificate that is valid for two years. Then, you are set to teach r.24 and no other updates / admin pieces are needed until you need to recertify in 2 years.
*A side note here: I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a limited-edition Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification course on February 6, 2023 because the ITs have to go through this update process too to be eligible to teach all these new classes. SO…if your cert expired between February 6, 2023-February 12, 2023, you need to look at the Lifeguarding Instructor Crossover/Re-entry option because you will be expired by more than a year by the time you can actually get into a class. I’m sorry. That’s a super bummer. For example, my earliest LGI Recertification class after the r.24 release is February 11, 2024 and even that is going to be a bit of wild ride to make happen. The good news is you have two years from your expiration date that you are eligible for the LGI Crossover/Re-entry option which is still shorter than a full LGI course.
MOre instructor and instructor trainer questions
What is the difference between the “limited-edition Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification” and the “Lifeguarding Instructor/IT Recertification?
The main difference is the online learning portion. The limited-edition course INCLUDES the online learning for updating to r.24. So, the online work will be include the following:
Lifeguarding Blended Learning online course [~6 hours]
Lifeguarding Instructor Update OR Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer Update [~2.5hours]
Lifeguarding Instructor or Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer Recertification online session [~2 hours]
After the online learning, there is a ~7 hour in-person course to attend to complete your recertification for your instructor cert.
On January 1, 2025, the limited-edition course will be sunseted and only the Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification will be available because everyone who is maintaining their instructor certification will have to have updated to r.24 by December 31, 2024. The Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification / Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer Recertification includes:
Lifeguarding Instructor or Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer Recertification online session [~2 hours]
In-person Lifeguarding Instructor or Instructor Trainer Recertification course with on-land and in-water skills practice and polish and a review of administrative practices. [~7 hours]
How do I maintain my r.24 Lifeguarding Instructor or Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer certification?
Teach at least one class within every two-year certification. This requirement has been removed with the r.24 curriculum revision.
Complete the Lifeguarding Instructor or Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer Recertification blended learning course that includes an in-person component. That in-person component is made up of on-land and in-water skills practice and polish sessions, testing, and a review of administrative procedures as an American Red Cross training provider.
Once you are fully updated to r.24, your instructor or instructor trainer certificates will be valid for two years.
Can I update my basic-level Lifeguarding certification when I take my Lifeguarding Instructor or Instructor Trainer Recertification course?
Yes! This is most easily done for folks that do not need additional add-ons to their Lifeguarding certification. Ask your Instructor Trainer if they are offering this option with the Lifeguarding Instructor or Instructor Trainer Recertification course. This will entail swimming the Lifeguarding prerequisites, performing in a couple scenarios, and taking the written tests from the Lifeguarding (Deep Water) course.
If you need additional add-ons (i.e. Waterfront or Waterpark Skills, Administering Emergency Oxygen), this is likely not feasible on the same day in the time frame required for those courses with the minimum time requirements for the in-person portion of the Instructor / Instructor Trainer Recertification class. That said, always feel welcome to ask your instructor if they can facilitate your testing for those add-ons. At Ruby Outdoors, we usually have instructors who want to maintain their Waterfront add-on in addition to their basic-level Lifeguarding certification so they can teach the Waterfront add-on at their facility. If this is you, be in touch with ruby@rubyoutdoors.com to discuss options for maintaining this certification. This will likely look like taking a Lifeguarding + Waterfront blended learning recertification course.
How do I find Instructor and Instructor Trainer Recertification courses?
If you are looking for classes in the southeast, check out the Ruby Outdoors course calendar.
You can always check the American Red Cross course listings. Please note that many basic-level certification courses require a fee to be listed on this site so you may not find all the courses that are available from local providers there. Instructor and Instructor Trainer Recertification courses, however, are often listed on the Red Cross site because it is a very low cost to list (and by low cost, I mean free).
Check out the American Camp Association’s Certifications by Camps listings and if your camp is hosting a class that may have openings, please consider sharing it there so the word can get out in the camp community. Listing courses is available to American Camp Association members only.
Look on the websites of local aquatic facilities for courses/date listings that may not be available on the American Red Cross site.
Finally, search for “American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer near [your location]” or “American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor Recertification near me” on Google. Many providers will list classes on their individual websites rather than listing on the American Red Cross site because they don’t have to pay an additional fee to list it on their own website.
One last resource I want to make sure you know about: if you are unsure of when your expiration dates are for you/your staffs’ certifications, you can always look up your American Red Cross certs at this “Find My Certificate” page. It is super duper handy and I use it to verify certifications for course participants.
If any of this brings up more questions, please be in touch with Ruby by emailing ruby@rubyoutdoors.com or texting 828.585.7829.