City of Evanston issued the following announcement on Dec. 5.
The City of Evanston’s Lifeguard Service has been designated as a Certified Lifeguard Agency by the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), becoming the only current USLA-certified agency on the Great Lakes. Most certified agencies are on the coasts, including some major cities and counties in Florida, California and Hawaii; the complete list is available at www.usla.org/certified.
USLA is America’s nonprofit professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers and considers its guidelines “consistent with those of the highest quality open water lifesaving programs in the United States today.” The USLA certification guildelines serve as an accreditation system for local lifeguard training programs.
In its notification letter, the USLA congratulated Evanston’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department for meeting its recommended standards for lifeguard agencies and “demonstrating a commitment to providing a high level of public safety in the open water environment.” Evanston’s certification is effective through November 2021.
Evanston’s five public swimming beaches operate daily from late May through Labor Day. In addition to having lifeguard, first aid and CPR certification, Evanston’s lifeguards are trained in using an automated cardiac defibrillator and emergency oxygen supply, both of which are readily accessible at each beach area. Lifeguards are required to participate in rescue skills training, regular drills and daily physical training. In 2018, the City of Evanston Lifeguard Service welcomed 160,000 beachgoers and performed 27 swimmer rescues.
For more information, please call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, you may dial 3-1-1 directly while in Evanston.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Evanston
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