At American Pool, we take pool safety and lifeguard training seriously! This past February, our very own Corporate Safety Director, Sabraya Isaacs and four American Red Cross lifeguard instructors traveled to the Dominican Republic to train lifeguards for the upcoming 2019 summer season. Together, Sabraya Isaacs, Michael Scheetz, Nicholas Vaccarello (American Pool President’s Award winner), Roy Horton, and Elaina Kriz took on the Dominican Republic!
The purpose of this trip was to lay the foundation for a quality program in the Dominican Republic. American Pool also wanted to ensure that quality, trained lifeguards are traveling to America from the Dominican Republic. The students in this training session will travel to the United States on a J-1 visa. This is a non-immigrant visa issued by the United States to research scholars, professors, and exchange visitors participating in programs that promote cultural exchange.
The American Red Cross Training
With Sabraya, Elaina, and Nick being certified American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor Trainers, the students were in great hands. Classes were taught at the Technological University of Santiago. Here, the prospective lifeguards underwent the Shallow Water Lifeguarding Course. This course takes three days to complete. Each day, the dedicated instructors and students trained for 12-14 hours. In the Shallow Water Lifeguarding Course, students learn the skills needed to prevent, recognize, and respond to aquatic emergencies in shallow water up to 5 feet deep. Students also learn the best practices for providing professional-level care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries, and sudden illnesses until emergency medical services (EMS) personnel take over.
A Word from Our Instructors
After teaching two Shallow Water Courses, our instructors were extremely humbled. These students possessed unmistakable drive, dedication, and passion to pass the lifeguarding course to get to the United States. Our team has already identified possible instructor candidates that could take a Red Cross Instructor course once in the US. Upon completion, they will be able to teach lifeguarding courses back home in the Dominican Republic. This would allow American Pool to grow a stable lifeguarding program in the Dominican Republic. This is ideal instead of having to send instructors from the United States.
“From infant swim lessons, to adult swim lessons, to synchronized swimming…there is a lot of aquatic programming in the country. Those individuals participating would be great lifeguards one day! The Dominican Republic has great guarding potential” – Sabraya Issacs, Corporate Safety Director
At American Pool, we are greatly committed to providing the best, most qualified lifeguards. We always go the extra mile to ensure safety at all of the pools our lifeguards manage. Learn more about our lifeguarding services here.
