Tips for Maintaining Focus and Improving Scanning for Lifeguards

As a lifeguard, your primary duty is to keep patrons safe by preventing them from putting themselves in hazardous situations. Performing water rescues and lifesaving CPR and first aid if necessary is equally as important. Being distracted or unfocused can prevent you from fully doing your job and needlessly put people in danger. While watching the water all day can sometimes become tedious and even downright boring, maintaining your focus while lifeguarding is imperative.

A lifeguard’s job is to focus on scanning, which means they are continuously observing, recording and assessing the pool or surf and surrounding areas to look for swimmers who may be in distress or drowning while keeping them and other patrons safe. A lifeguard’s eyes, ears and brain must work together to filter out the stimuli that are not important while being aware of the essential things on which to focus.

It is estimated that certified lifeguards rescue over 1,000,000 lives per year. While statistics show that the chance of drowning in the presence of a certified lifeguard is about 1 in 18 million, incidences still do occur. Most times this is attributed to the RID Factor, or the inability of the lifeguard to recognize when a patron is in distress or drowning, due to having their attention diverted by intrusions caused by attending to other duties or internal and external distractions that prevent them from noticing or acting upon distress situations.

Thankfully, there are many lifeguard focus tips that you can use to help you maintain focus and stay vigilant during your shifts. These tips involve activities such as maintaining proper personal care, frequently changing position and eliminating unnecessary distractions. You can also improve your scanning technique by establishing rotating patterns and incorporating physical movement and mental activity. These tips will help you stay aware of the activities in your zone and be prepared to act if necessary.

Lifeguard Scanning Tips

Proper scanning can prevent water rescues from even happening. For example, you may notice an unsafe area of surf or a rip tide that is forming and alert beach patrons of hazardous conditions before they even reach the water. While scanning, it’s important to know the difference between distress situations and drowning situations. Even with accurate scanning, it may be difficult from a distance to determine if someone is in distress or drowning. A good rule of thumb is to play it safe and investigate.

Know How to Identify Distress and Drowning Situations

Distress victims are those who need assistance to get to safety but are still able to tread water and call for help. They usually possess enough swimming skills to alert someone that they need help while keeping afloat. Contrary to what is often assumed, it’s not always easy to tell if someone is actually drowning. In fact, many times an individual who is drowning will do so quietly. Lifeguards must be able to recognize the two types of drowning. Potential drowning victims can be classified as either active or passive.

Active Drowning Victims

• Often appear to be splashing or playing
• Are usually conscious
• Will not call for help
• Will tilt head back in attempt to keep breathing
• Will slip quietly under the water within 20-60 seconds
• May flail arms sideways
• Will not be kicking feet
• Body will be in a vertical position

Passive Drowning Victims

• Usually slips underwater without struggle or sound
• Usually unconscious
• May have lost consciousness due to a medical condition or because of a blow to the head, cold water immersion or excessive alcohol.
• Difficult to observe

One way to keep yourself mentally aware while scanning is to identify the patrons in your zone that may be most at-risk, including children and the elderly, and keep them in your focus. Children are more likely to wander into unsafe swimming areas, and seniors are more likely to have health conditions that may cause them to lose consciousness while in the water. Keep these places and patrons in your scanning area and mentally rehearse and prepare a rescue. Being mentally prepared for rescues keeps you sharp and ready to go if you need to act.

Establish a Scanning Pattern

Although there is no set scanning standard in the United States, many advancements have been made over the years to develop scanning techniques that maximize effective lifeguard vigilance.

There are two types of recommended scanning patterns that a lifeguard may use:

• Side to Side- This type of scanning involves starting at the top left side of your zone and scanning all the way to the right. Your eyes will then travel in a straight line back to the left through the middle and return to the right. The final sweep is from the bottom left to the bottom right side of your zone.
• Top to Bottom- This type of scanning also involves starting at the top left side of your zone but includes scanning from top to bottom until you reach the bottom right side of your zone.

Lifeguards should utilize both scanning patterns to help keep them focused and alert and alternate them every 5 minutes or so. Start by looking at the bottom of the pool or under the water then at the surface. Then scan the activity of the patrons around the beach/pool deck. Keep scanning while alternating your scanning pattern. Your scan should cover an area of 180 degrees. In addition to changing your scanning pattern, you should change your body position every 5 minutes as well.

Scanning is much more effective when the lifeguard rotates their head in the direction of the scanned area, rather than just with their eyes. Doing this puts more details into view, such as the faces of potential drowning victims, their thrashing movements or the absence of movement (in the case of a passive drowning victim) that may be missed when scanning only with the eyes.

Scanning completely and accurately allows the lifeguard to take in all the details of their environment best. However, it should not be done too slowly, as a person can drown within 20-60 seconds. Whatever your scanning style, it's recommended that complete scanning of your zone take no more than 10 seconds since it usually takes another 10-20 seconds to reach the victim.

Position Yourself Accurately

Being in a higher position (a minimum of 5 ft.) over the water gives lifeguards a paramount view of the both the water and nearby patrons. It also lessens the chance that they will be approached or distracted by patrons on the ground level. For some lifeguards, they are the only ones on duty, and responsible for both tower and ground functions. If this is the case, make conversations brief and don't engage in any non-essential activities such as maintenance or training tasks.

Recent studies have shown that in pool settings, lifeguards can be more effective and locate victims quicker when they are closer to the water. They can stand and walk around the poolside, although that position may expose them to more conversations and distractions. New technology is coming out to assist lifeguards in scanning, such as underwater cameras and computers, although it most likely will never replace skilled, vigilant human beings who can rush to the rescue and offer CPR and first aid if needed.

Lifeguard Focus Tips

Staying focused can be difficult even for the most experienced lifeguards, so it's helpful to utilize these tips for keeping yourself alert and aware.

Take proper care of yourself- If you aren’t feeling your best, there’s no doubt you won’t be able to function at your best. It’s important to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself by:

• Drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated
• Getting a good night’s sleep every night before a shift
• Avoiding alcohol and caffeine before a shift, as they can increase dehydration
• Be careful with medications (both prescription and non-prescription) that may affect your mental or physical performance.

Fatigue and dehydration can cause you to be less alert and become drowsy, irritable and distracted. Your ability to act quickly and think clearly can decrease significantly.

Lifeguards who feel stressed during their shifts tend to have a more difficult time maintaining their concentration. Lifeguard stress has been linked to environmental factors such as the size and distance of the area to be scanned and also the number of people they are responsible for assessing. For this reason, it’s imperative that each lifeguard knows the exact boundaries of their zone, or the area for which they are responsible.

Be prepared- As a lifeguard, you must be prepared for all situations and conditions you may encounter throughout the day. If you know you're fully prepared for anything that arises, such as weather events if you work outside, it will keep you comfortable, and you won't be distracted worrying about them. Since the weather can change quickly, it’s always smart to be prepared for all conditions including extreme heat and sun, thunderstorms, wind and rain. Improper protection from the elements can cause eyestrain or irritation due to sun glare, wind or blowing sand. This can, in turn, affect your ability to scan your area properly.

Some things you may need:

• Sunscreen
• Enough water to keep you hydrated throughout the day
• Food
• Umbrella or sun canopy
• Polarized sunglasses that don’t obstruct peripheral vision
• Weather appropriate clothing/ Change of clothing

Change Positions Regularly- Sitting in the same position for long periods of time can make you less focused. To combat this, try to shift positions in your chair or stand frequently, about every 5 minutes is recommended. Walk from side to side. Use a sit, stand and stroll rotation if you’re able. You should always switch positions immediately if you aren’t able to fully scan your zone due to obstructions or sun glare. Frequent breaks to combat mental fatigue are a must. The United States Red Cross Lifeguard Service recommends that lifeguards receive a 15-minute break every hour.

If you’re able to do so, rotating positions or zones around the pool or beach with other lifeguards, about every 30 minutes can help to keep you more alert. Facilities with more than one lifeguard often require them to signal to each other that their zones are safe (whistle, raising float, thumbs up) about every 5 minutes or so.

Eliminate Unnecessary Distractions- It seems that today’s society is loaded with distractions. With lifeguards, distractions can be deadly. It's important to remove any distractions that will keep your focus from the water and patrons in your zone. This means that you shouldn’t have your phone with you at your stand, even if you’re allowed. While this may result in missed messages, remember that someone can drown in the time that it takes to read and respond to an email or text. Leave books, tablets, music and any other item that may draw your attention away from scanning, at home or in your locker.

Studies have shown that the noisier and more active an environment is, the quicker the brain begins to focus on that stimuli, making a lifeguard less aware of the things going on around them. This is further compounded by things like listening to music. While it may seem that listening to music may help to keep a lifeguard more alert, in a noisy or active environment, it can make distraction worse.

Learn to Stay Alert-Working in a slow environment with little activity often creates boredom and lack of attention. Conversely, working in highly stimulating environments such as beaches and water parks may prevent boredom but can cause lifeguards to become more distracted. It becomes difficult to pay attention when there are lots of people wearing and doing interesting things, the sun or air is warm and all sorts of sounds, activities and conversations are going on around you. Patrons may want to chat or ask you questions. No matter your setting, you must learn to be a good communicator while not allowing these things to distract you from your primary duty.

Distractions don’t always come from external sources. Watching the same water all day, especially when not much is going on, can become tedious and cause your mind to wander. This is referred to as "internal noise," where you become distracted by your own thoughts. It takes a lot of practice to stay alert during your shift and keep your mind from wandering. Not being mentally and physically alert should an emergency arise can result in slow or inadequate reactions.

Staying alert is a physical, mental and psychological process. To be fully alert and prepared to act, lifeguards must have a series of strategies in place to keep both their mind and body vigilant and prepared. Most lifeguard training includes tips to stay mentally aware.

Some of these include:

• Counting people around the pool/zone if possible
• Frequently shifting positions in your lifeguard stand or chair
• Identifying potentially at-risk patrons
• Mentally rehearsing rescues
• Utilizing positive self-talk or cue words every 5 minutes

Stock Up On Lifeguard Necessities At the Lifeguard Store

At the Lifeguard Store, we have everything you need to be prepared and well-equipped. Browse our extensive selection of lifeguard equipment including swimwear, rescue gear and even personal items. We have thousands of items in stock from umbrellas, canopies, sunscreen and polarized sunglasses to DVDs and textbooks with lifeguard tips and training resources. We’re proud to offer competitive pricing, fast shipping and no-hassle returns.

Learn More Lifeguard Tips:

• How to Avoid Sunburn as a Lifeguard
• Tips for Managing and Positioning Your Lifeguards
• How to Stay Safe on the Lifeguard Stand
• How to Stay Warm as a Lifeguard When It’s Cold Outside
• How to Handle Disruptive Guests at the Pool
• How to Get Ready for Lifeguard Season
• What You Need to Know About Shallow Water Lifeguarding