TRAINING FOR TEACHERS

Following the drowning of a student at the Père Marquette Pool in February of 2018, the Lifesaving Society’s recommendation has been that every physical education teacher, who is expected to teach poolside, should hold a minimum certification of Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross. Many school boards have now made this recommendation mandatory.

While Bronze Medallion (15 hrs) and Bronze Cross (20 hrs) training can be taken individually, the Lifesaving Society has developed challenges tailored for physical education teachers. For reference, a challenge is an examination in which all items in a course are assessed, but which does not require candidates to have taken the course beforehand.

Here are the three challenge options that a lifesaving instructor can offer to physical education teachers.

1.       The Bronze Medallion/Bronze Cross Challenge for teachers without a lifesaving certificate is 13 hours long.

2.       The Bronze Medallion/Bronze Cross Challenge for teachers with expired Bronze Medallion certification is 10 hours long.

3.       The Bronze Cross Challenge for teachers with a current Bronze Medallion is 7 hours long.

It is important for each teacher to know before registering that they will have to be able to swim 400 metres in 12 minutes. They will only have one attempt to swim it. This is mandatory before they can begin the challenge. Furthermore, just because they have done the challenge does not mean they will automatically pass the exam.

Note that teachers who have an expired Bronze Cross or National Lifeguard certification can simply requalify their certification or take the 7-hour Bronze Cross Challenge.

If you are interested in implementing this program in your school or have any questions, please contact us at alerte@sauvetage.qc.ca.