From the top of a lifeguard chair, former U.S. Coast Guard and former Santa Barbara County Counsel Mike Ghizzoni has a pretty great view.
"So this is the office up here and from here, our lifeguards are doing the standard that we're trained to: scanning the pool vigilantly so that we put eyes on every person in the pool every 10 seconds," says Mike Ghizzoni, now a lifeguard for the City of Santa Barbara.
Ghizzoni has been lifeguarding for the City for the past four years.
"The reality is that a lifeguard at this pool owns the first seven or eight minutes of an emergency before EMS emergency medical services arrives," Ghizzoni explained.
He’s one of many highly-trained community members certified through the city's multi-day lifeguard training program.
"So the first time you do it, it'll be hard. Stick with it. And the training is really supportive and nurturing, getting you through it with people, and everybody's in the water doing the same thing."
This spring, the city is offering its certification program at a reduced cost as part of an ongoing effort to improve the community’s water safety.
"Our goal is to make everybody as water-safe as possible. And so that starts with having people who have water safety knowledge," explained Aquatic coordinator Todd Fahlstrom.
According to Fahlstrom and the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4.
"So, whether you work as a lifeguard or not, the lifesaving skills or something that you, you may find will be valuable to you wherever you go," Fahlstrom said,
Lifeguard training courses usually cost around $200, but the city is offering the multi-day course to residents for just $50.
"For the lifeguard, there's about six hours of online training, and then there's about another 20 to 25 hours of in-person training," Fahlstrom said.
Successful completion of the course will give you an American Red Cross certification in lifeguarding and you’ll be qualified for job openings with the City of Santa Barbara, which Fahlstrom calls incredibly rewarding.
"It’s just one of the ways that I'm able to give back to the thing that gave me a lot," he said.
Lifeguard certification courses will take place March 24-27 and May 24-26 at the Los Baños del Mar pool.
To sign up, click here.
