More to being a lifeguard than simply guarding swims
Phil Duffy
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 13/01) - Lana McDonald has fun at her lifeguard job but takes her position seriously.
"Being a lifeguard is fun because it is always interesting, but it can be very stressful because after all, we are guarding peoples lives," said McDonald.
She works at the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, a beautiful facility that is kept in immaculate condition for its patrons to enjoy seven days a week.
"There is a lot more to being a lifeguard than just guarding swims," she said. "For instance, we are also responsible for cleaning the pool as well as scrubbing the change rooms.
"Lifeguards are constantly dealing with the public too, like when we are teaching people how to swim.
Teaching the kids is one of my favourite parts of the job. I get to spoil them and then send them back to their parents," she grinned.
Being a lifeguard is a challenging job. Along with needing the St. John's Ambulance first aid and C.P.R. courses, there are three other learning stages to conquer.
There is the Bronze Medallion course, which is water rescue training. Then comes the Bronze Cross level which deals more with a pool atmosphere, and lastly comes the National Lifeguard Society (NLA) training that concentrates on all aspects of pool situations.
"The most common type of rescue situation we face at our pool is pulling small kids and other non-swimmers out of the deep end when we see they are in distress," McDonald said.
This outgoing Edmonton native was swimming competitively at the age of four and has more than three years' experience as a synchronized swimmer. When you add the fact that she has been working as a lifeguard for four of the eight years she has been in Yellowknife, you begin to appreciate what an accomplished athlete this 18 year old is.
She also has a healthy sense of humour.
"The funniest thing I've seen since I started working here was when this (man) came strolling out of the change room completely naked. He then proceeded to calmly dress in front of the crowded pool. There were a lot of shocked mothers covering their children's eyes when that happened."
