Courtesy photo.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE — Just in time for the busy summer swim season, the Southeast Ventura County YMCA is offering a Red Cross lifeguard certification course at its Yarrow Family YMCA branch, Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10. The two-day program will be held in the Yarrow Y’s indoor pool (31105 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village). Class hours are 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The lifeguard certification class includes training in CPR/Automated External Defibrillator use and first aid. Participants will receive the skills to prevent, recognize and tend to injuries until emergency medical services arrive. This is a blended learning course with an online component to be completed prior to the start of the in-person class.
“The YMCA is actively hiring certified lifeguards for our Yarrow and Simi Valley branches,” says Bill Blunck, Chief Operating Officer at the Y. “Taking the course and receiving your Red Cross certificate gives you the skills to be an excellent candidate for one of our lifeguard positions.”
Participants in the program must be at least 15 years old (age 16 if hired by the Y). Class fees are $225. The Southeast Ventura County YMCA will reimburse the cost of the lifeguard certification if a participant is hired by the YMCA, completes three months of employment and receives positive performance reviews. The Y also offers flexible shifts, swim lesson instruction training, a $50 hiring bonus and a $200 retention bonus after 90 days. Course completion does not guarantee employment at a Southeast Ventura County YMCA branch.
To register, go to www.sevymca.org/lifeguard. For more information contact Rebecca Badillo, Simi Valley Family YMCA, rbadillo@sevymca.org or Brigitte Bonafont, Yarrow Family YMCA, bbonafont@sevymca.org. Other training dates are tentatively scheduled.