SOME 22 dedicated and hard-working young residents from Kouga, between the ages of 16 and 30, have received their prestigious Lifeguard Award certificate from Lifesaving SA, a globally recognised qualification, on Wednesday, September 22.
Apart from cardiopulmonary resuscitation and water rescue skills, they have been trained in anatomy and physiology, as well as site specific emergency care and the general duties and scanning skills of a lifeguard.
Two more lifeguards received their Lifeguard Qualifying Award certificates on the day, enabling them to perform similar duties, except for water rescue skills.
The training was conducted free of charge by Kouga Municipality’s senior lifeguards and swimming instructors.
“The initiative was launched to increase the pool of locally-bred lifeguards and to create seasonal employment opportunities for the youth,” said Kouga community services portfolio Councillor, Daniel Benson.
“We would like to have lifeguards whose skills and discipline are known locally and who are within easy reach.”
He said a requirement to earn the certificate was a 200m run, followed by a 400m swim and another 200m run in under 10 minutes.
