Registration Still Open for Lifeguard Training

Whether your goal is to emulate the bronzed beauties of “Baywatch,” to save a life or merely to improve your swim stroke, now is the time to start.

Registration for lifeguard training courses conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks’ Valley Aquatics Center will end Friday. Classes will be taught at Hubert Humphrey Aquatics Center in Pacoima and Cleveland High School in Reseda.

A $60 fee is charged for the seven-week courses, which are designed to prepare students to take the Los Angeles City Lifeguard Test. Those who pass will be eligible to work as lifeguards at city pools or other swimming venues, said Robert Arreola, pool manager at Hubert Humphrey.

Arreola said that the city hired 70 new lifeguards this year at a starting wage of $9.45 per hour. Many of those hired were college students who work 20-35 hours per week during the busy summer season before returning to school.

Although the training course is not required to take the lifeguard test, graduates are given preference for jobs over those who choose to train on their own.

The three-part lifeguard test includes a 200-meter medley, which combines all the major swimming strokes; a 75-yard dummy tow that requires students to use a special side stroke to “rescue” a 60-pound dummy, and an oral interview.

For registration information, call (818) 896-0067.