National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification

National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification

Beach Lifeguard training in Pembrokeshire, Wales

What is NVBLQ?

This year Surf Life Saving Wales, RLSS, and SLS GB have agreed to offer a unified qualification which sets a common, national standard for beach lifeguarding and satisfies the requirements specified by lifeguard service operators, such as local councils, voluntary organisations and the RNLI.

The qualification will be delivered by all three of Britain's national governing bodies.  Endorsed by International Life Saving Federation, National Water Safety Forum Beach Advisory Group and the RNLI.

The new award now sets the standard for vocational lifeguarding in the UK.

The following is a basic overview of the new NVBLQ.

Pre-requisites

·         Be at least 16 years of age on the date of assessment

·         Be able to swim 400m in under 8 minutes

·         Be able to complete a 200m beach run in under 40 secs

Units covered

·         Beach Environment

·         Beach Patrolling

·         Working Practices

·         communications

·         Basic Life Support

·         First Aid

·         Pool based practical's

·         Beach / surf based practical's

Course

40 hours Training – 6 days with the assessment on the 6th day.  A full week's training with required self study evening work.

Included in fee

Fees include Surf Life Saving Wales membership, Certification, insurances and all learning resources needed.

Possible employment opportunities

Ø  Professional or voluntary Beach Lifeguarding

Ø  Surf school instructor

Ø  Other water sports instructor roles

Find out more:

You can find our more about this course and to book onto a NVBLQ course run in Wales by visiting www.watersafetyeurope.co.uk

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Social responsibilities and good business

Whenever you talk about a community interest organisations people always think charities, not commercial businesses.  But commercial enterprise supporting local communities and the people who ultimately supported you could is just good business.

Using your skills and experience gained from your work in the cut throat commercial industry to support and develop your community couldn't be easier.  And I don't mean simply throwing a few policies in place.  Actually getting out there and supporting the local clubs and community as a whole, using your expertise to support community driven projects that share your values and striving to improve community issues that are close to both your hearts.

Here are a few examples or good causes we support in our local community.

Splash Out Surf Experience

The Splash Out team (also known as Surf Buddies) provide the opportunity for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families the chance to head on down to the beach and work with experienced lifesavers and surf enthusiasts offering the chance to experience surfing like its never been before.  The team create an entire arena dedicated to the children and each child is paired with their vary own surf buddy, to guide them and their family through their experience.  The project is run entirely by volunteers and funded 100% by donations and grant aid.

Find out more about Splash Out here

Carmarthenshire Water Safety Partnership

Set up in the wake of the tragic loss of three local children to drowning a community group set themselves up with the aim of  "highlighting the need for an effective multi-organisational approach to the promotion of education, campaigning and improving water safety in Carmarthenshire."  What this team of dedicated armature has managed to achieve in such a short amount of time is astonishing and can only be a good thing for their local community.

Water Safety Europe are proud to say that we are donating our consultation services to this group and supporting in the development of a new, county wide education scheme.

Find out more here

Tenby Surf Lifesaving Club

A voluntary run, not for profit, registered charity dedicated to preventing loss of life from drowning through rescue and prevention.  In recent weeks, Water Safety Europe staff have been working with Tenby SLSC volunteers to develop a new junior training program which will see over 40 local youths undertake life saving training per week.

We have also been working with the committee on the launch of a number of events designed to promote the club locally, while generating income to fund further developments.

Find out more here

Carmarthenshire Water Safety Partnership Launch

We attended a meeting today at the Carmarthen Journal Offices to publicise the official launch of the Countywide water safety partnership.

Chaired by Adam Whitehouse who is friends with one of the families who have lost a child in a local river this partnership brings together statutory and voluntary rescue and safety bodies, local councils, clubs and associations, land owners, businesses and anyone else with an interest in education and awareness to promote water safety across the counties areas of waters including rivers, lakes, quarries and the coast.

Present were representatives from:

• ·         Carmarthenshire County Council
• ·         Carmarthen Town Council
• ·         Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
• ·         Royal National Lifeboat Institution
• ·         Merlin First Aid Services Limited
• ·         Red Kite SAR Consultancy
• ·         Water Safety Europe
• ·         1st Carmarthen Scout Group
• ·         Local Landowner Chris Thomas
• ·         Quay Warden Malcolm Rees
• ·         Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Salmon
• ·         Members of families who have been involved in tragic incidents over recent years
• ·         Chairman of Gwendraeth Valley Paddlers and Carmarthen River Festival
• ·         And Others

We hope to help this partnership in the future with more advice and courses to promote water safety and awareness to the young people (and their parents) across Carmarthenshire.

ITV Wales news covered the launch and their article can be found Here

Our local paper, the Carmarthen Journal covered the launch, their article and photo can be found here

Thanks to our friends redkite-sar for this post

Joint lifesaving project launched

This month see’s a new joint Life Saving education program being launched in Pembrokeshire that is estimated to reach hundreds of local children over the next year.

Tenby Surf Lifesaving club has teamed up with commercial lifeguard training provider, Water Safety Europe, to deliver a new, structured, age specific pool based education program that is hoped will not only attract new members to the club but will also offer new exciting training opportunities for its existing Nipper and Junior members.

The club has offered junior education programs since its creation in 1993 offering year round training with summer activities on the resorts award winning South Beach and winter activities in the local pool.

The new pool based program will see over 50 local children a week attend the charities junior training held in the towns leisure centre and being put through the new structured training.

The new ‘Nipper Lifesaver’ scheme, which has been developed by Water Safety Europe, includes 3 core awards that are split into 9 stages, designed to build confidence as well as practical water fitness, skills and survival techniques.

                                                                                                                 

This fun and exciting water safety award scheme is aimed at children aged 8-12 years old and teaches participants to stay safe around water as well as teaching them what to do in an emergency and who to contact in an emergency.

Alongside their new nipper program, the club has also launched a new, in house ‘Junior Lifesaver’ scheme that will target the clubs 12-15 year old members.  This new scheme consists of two separate awards that will be delivered over the 21 weeks period and will focus on teaching vital water safety skills as well as personal survival, rescue techniques and fitness. 

The club is now working with Water Safety Europe to extend these programs to incorporate beach based awards that will be launched in Easter 2016.

Water Safety Europe’s Angelo Fecci said, “Structured programs like this are essential for teaching the community vital water safety awareness and lifesaving skills.  The new awards will enable the Tenby SLSC volunteers to deliver in house, structured and relevant sessions.  We have been so glad to donate our lifeguard trainers time and expertise to helping this local charities project.”

The new project has come about during the same time that calls for improved water safety education are being voiced across the UK, with organisations close to home set to launch a Welsh petition calling for action.

Statistics from the National Water Safety Forum show that in 2013 there were 381 water related deaths within UK water ways with 73% of incidents involving under 19’s.

“We are extremely lucky to have such a club and opportunities within our county as there are many, some surprising close to home without such facilities and now calling for such programs.” Said Junior Lifesaving Coach Ashley Griffiths.  “The aim of our junior training has always been to educate young people of the dangers and to prevent them ever getting into difficulty in the first place.  Many of our junior members will work their way up through the club and will ultimately go on to train as and work as a professional lifeguard.”

-       For further information about the club and its projects please search ‘Surf Link – Tenby’ on Facebook

-       For information on event water safety services or lifeguard training please visit www.watersafetyeurope.co.uk or search for them on Facebook or Twitter.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the Water Safety Europe blog.  We will be using this to keep you up to date with all the goings on here at Water Safety Europe, as well as giving our opinions on water safety related topics.

For more information on our work, please visit our website www.watersafetyeurope.co.uk