The Antelope Valley Times

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Palmdale lifeguards attain “World Class” lifeguarding score

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PALMDALE – The city of Palmdale’s lifeguard team received a score of 95 from the National Aquatic Safety Company (NASCO) after the organization conducted a lifeguard inspection in June at DryTown Water Park.

“A score of 70 is considered to be ‘World Class,’ and our lifeguards scored an incredible 95,” said Palmdale’s Director of Recreation and Culture Keri Smith.

The Palmdale lifeguards achieved their rating after being evaluated for scanning time (how quickly and accurately the water surface is viewed), appearance (indicates that the lifeguard is prepared with proper equipment), and posture (rescue ready stance).

“This is the 15th time our lifeguards have achieved a ‘World Class’ score,” Smith said. “We couldn’t be prouder of our lifeguard team. They take what they do very seriously and train and study hard to give our families the very best and safest experience at DryTown and our pools.”

NASCO performs inspections at hundreds of water park facilities through the United States each year, and is recognized as a leader and innovator in the safety procedures for aquatics and amusement park facilities.

For more information about Palmdale’s lifeguard program, contact the recreation and culture department at 267-5611.

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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Filed Under: Palmdale

22 comments for "Palmdale lifeguards attain “World Class” lifeguarding score"

  1. Way to go! My daughter is one of those guards and has to do training almost daily. She has to be qualified, and proficient, and in great shape, and qualify for this life saving trade. So those of you mocking them,why not look for the good? You sound like you couldn’t pass the test to be a lifeguard so you mock it to make your pathetic self feel better.

    • Don, I for one am happy that the respectable youth have a good and fun summer job. I myself was a pool lifeguard many many years ago at Lane Park.
      Jobs like these provide valuable service in preparing you for dealing with the public as well as staying focused while you’re at work. It’s definitely a job you should take pride in having.

      We used to have to do the “macho man” swim across Castaic Afterbay back-and-forth several times in under a certain time just to be qualified. That was pretty brutal!

      Just last week we were on the beach and Los Angeles County had their junior lifeguard program running kids down the beach and practicing rescues. Lifeguarding is a perfect steppingstone to EMS work and even firefighting.. I hope your daughter sticks with it!

      • Why the backpeddle Shane? Where’s the good old “you are a bottom dwelling Palmdale resident” speech?

        • No back peddling at all. It’s a great job for young people and a wage fitting young people.

          The debate was regarding what the job was worth….not the person, Tim.

          • Which is what makes it unusual, Shane. Your usual condemnation of all and sundry as cockroaches and sewer sludge was absent. Why is that?

          • The criminals? Yes Tim. They are the cockroaches and sewer sludge. Youth working a summer job? Never.

            I’ve been those kids.

          • Once again with the “I only say that about criminals” bald faced lie…what did it take to come up with a quote to disprove that last time…five minutes?

            Got any more whoppers to sell, Shane? That one’s been spit out.

    • I thought the “watch over our kids lives” was a pretty good argument. You don’t?

      • EMT’s running 911 calls don’t make $15 an hour. It’s a stepping stone job to gain experience to become a paramedic, firefighter, police officer or nurse.

        The lifeguard jobs are mostly for high school kids and those just graduating high school much like many of the EMT’s are in their late teens and early/mid 20’s in college pursuing a better career.

        • Because people just doing a fair day’s work shouldn’t be able to make a living at it, right Shane? They should be just starving cockroaches to grind beneath the mighty Falco feet.

          • 15 dollars an hour is making a living? Where? Why not pay them 60 dollars an hour, thats a living, in ca.of course after the new round of taxes from the dems in sacto, 65 an hour will be the new living wage.

          • Well, it may not buy the big house that a Falco might need to attract a mate, but yeah Pete, it is a living.

        • @Shane Falco

          So, saving some kid from drowning isn’t worth $15 a hour???? Right?

          I bet you spend that much at the movie theater watching some ridiculous blockbuster movie with some stuff to munch on.

          Not to worry. You’re not the only American whose priorities are upside down.

          • How many times do they actually save a kid from drowning?

            Their scores are based on “scanning time (how quickly and accurately the water surface is viewed), appearance (indicates that the lifeguard is prepared with proper equipment), and posture (rescue ready stance).”

            Hence a job for younger folks, trained in CPR and first aid and overstaffed for redundancy. It’s great experience until they get an education or better job. It’s the exact type of job and pay for youth.

          • No Falco would ever be rescued by some cockroach lifeguard. They are far too above the norm for such situations to apply to them. Therefore, William, you are venturing deep into the purely hypothetical.

          • Lifeguards work at public pools, and to Shane anyone in a public pool is just a cockroach and not worth saving, right Shane?

  3. Now pay them $15 an hour City of Palmdale they only watch over our kids lives stop being so damn cheap!

    • It isn’t like the city is rolling in the dough while underpaying the lifeguards. Maybe you should be advocating for the property tax to feed into the parks system on the income side and make it possible to pay them more…that will make you popular.