Spencer Park Lifeguard
The Thelma G. Spencer Park lifeguard staff is the only United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) certified lifeguard staff in the state of Michigan. For the past 23 years, the staff has succeeded in their goal: no drownings, no spinal cord injuries, no serious employee injuries.
Training
In order to maintain the skills required to respond to any emergency, lifeguards at Spencer park are required to attend at least one three hour training session during every two week pay period.
Employees are also expected to train personally during their time off of the lifeguard stand. They are expected to run a distance of at least one lap of the lake (1.1 miles), rescue board a distance of at least 700 yards, and swim a distance of at least 700 yards daily. Other additional training activities that are encouraged are deep diving to the bottom of the lake, practicing Cardiopulmonary Recusitation (CPR) on a computerized mannequin, and kayaking around the lake.
Qualifications
In addition to being USLA certified lifeguards, all staff members possess the following certifications after a vigorous yearly certification weekend:
- American Red Cross Lifeguard
- American Red Cross CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer
- American Red Cross Oxygen Administration for the Professional Rescuer
- American Red Cross Standard First Aid
- American Red Cross Infant/Child CPR
Training Sessions
The cornerstones of the training regime are the required training sessions. These sessions almost always occur in the early morning hours before the beach operations start.
The initial activity of the training sessions is usually an hour of physical activity, consisting of running, swimming, and the much disputed Spencer Park Beach "Circuit". During this period of staff occupation, the beachfront coordinator places several mannequins on the lake bottom both inside and outside of the swimming area.
The second phase of the training sessions usually focuses on a variety of drills that practice the fundamental procedures executed by the lifeguards, including the Spencer Park Missing Child Procedure, the Spencer Park Out of Swim Area Procedure, the out of swim area submersion procedure, and other ad hoc scenarios that require the lifeguards to adapt to the situation.