MAY 2020 - LIFEGUARDING ET SURVEILLANCE
WHEN POOLS OPEN, WILL I BE ABLE TO WORK EVEN IF MY CERTIFICATE HAS EXPIRED?
The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) announced on March 27, 2020, that on the day that the Direction de la santé publique will authorize activities in Quebec public swimming areas to resume, lifeguarding staff (lifeguards, assistant-lifeguard or aquatic safety and lifesaving instructors) will have a MAXIMUM PERIOD OF 45 CIVIL DAYS to pass an exam in order to renew their certificate.
During this 45-day period, lifesaving work may be assigned to staff with a certificate issued no more than 2 years and 3 months before the official date on which activities in public bathing areas are to be resumed, as authorized by the Direction de la Santé Publique.
SUSPENDED COURSES: WHAT TO DO?
Following the closure of aquatic centres and Lifesaving courses’ winter session being suspended, many questions and concerns have been brought to our attention. Here is the Lifesaving Society’s guideline.
BRONZE STAR, BRONZE MEDALLION OR BRONZE CROSS
When it comes to Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross courses, if the instructor has continuously evaluated all course items, they may report results for successful candidates to the Lifesaving Society. For a candidate who has not yet passed all items or who has been unsuccessful, the instructor shall indicate the final result as not available (N/A). Candidates whose results are not available will be required to take additional courses to obtain their certificate upon resumption of activities, as directed by Public Health. The instructor must be able to justify the status of the candidates (success or N/A) based on evaluation notes they have collected during the session. As usual, these evaluation notes must be retained by the instructor and made available to the Lifesaving Society upon request.
Due to the current context, upon resumption of activities, the course instructor or an external evaluator will be able to perform the final evaluation of all items for the candidates.
In case the session had just started for a Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross course, we strongly encourage you to start over from the beginning. You may also consider the option of an intensive course.
NATIONAL LIFEGUARD
For National Lifeguard courses with only the examination remaining, please contact the Lifesaving Society to schedule an appointment to assess eligibility for candidate certification.
PREREQUISITES
The National Lifeguard Instructor must be able to justify the status of the candidates (success or N/A) based on evaluation notes they have collected during the session. All items must have been evaluated including supervision situations.
For National Lifeguard courses where candidates have not been evaluated on all items or if the course has not been fully covered, we invite you to complete the training upon resumption of activities, as directed by public health guidelines.
Should you have any questions on the matter or to make an appointment for an eligibility assessment, please contact the Lifesaving Society at the following address: alerte@sauvetage.qc.ca.