Lifeguard Spinal Challenge 2022

While treating a suspected spinal injury, why is it important to keep talking to the guest?

• Talking reassures the guest

• A guest who is talking is breathing, has a pulse and is conscious

• Lifeguards can find out crucial information about the guest and the guest’s injuries

• All of the above

The "Standard of Care" concept refers to:

• Skills and care that would be normally provided by any regular citizen in a similar situation

• Treating incidents with a triage mentality where the order of treatment is based on the severity of the illness or injury

• Skills and care that would be normally provided by other lifeguards in a similar situation

• A policy your employer must follow to ensure employee rights

For an Emergency Action Plan to work effectively the:

• Guest must be conscious and able to follow directions

• Rescue team must demonstrate strong swimming skills

• Rescue team must be familiar with the plan and practice the plan often

• Rescue team must include bystanders

A technique used to immobilize the head and neck of a guest in water with a suspected spinal injury in-water is:

• C-Collar

• Head Hold

• C-Spine

• Vice Grip

When the lifeguard team is securing a guest to a backboard, the team should:

• Secure the guest's body (chest, hips, thighs, and lower legs) to the backboard before securing the head (using a head immobilizer)

• Use at least five straps at all times before attempting to move the guest from the water

• Leave the guest in the water once secured to the board, and wait for EMS arrival

• Never give the guest a blanket because the guest’s body temperature is high when suffering from a spinal injury that occurred in the water

What are the first basic steps lifeguards follow when presented with a submerged guest with a

suspected spinal injury?

• Guests cannot have a spinal injury and be submerged. A standard rescue should be performed

• The guard should do a feet-first surface dive to reach the guest, apply vice grip, then swim to the surface at an angle, turning the guest as they reach the surface

• Lifeguards should do a deep water rescue, to bring the guest to the surface, then apply vise grip at the surface and begin back-boarding

• Two lifeguards should do a feet-first surface dive to the depth of the guest, then one will perform vise grip, while the other supports the feet

Two lifeguards are back-boarding a large man who dove into the shallow end. What techniques will assist the lifeguards in managing the large guest?

• The lifeguard team should stabilize the guest in the water until EMS arrives to preform the adapted large guest abdominal extrication (ALGAE)

• The lifeguard at the head can ask the guest to hold his breath so that he will become more buoyant and easier to manage while in the water

• The lifeguard team can bring the guest to shallow water (if possible) so they can stand without support of the rescue tubes, and place rescue tubes under the foot of the board to add support

• The lifeguard team can use any of the above techniques to assist in managing a large guest with a suspected spinal injury

When a lifeguard must control a crowd during an emergency situation, which of the following techniques would be most appropriate?

• Begin with asking guests to politely leave. If that does not work, use a harsh stern voice and usher them away if necessary.

• Use extremely specific directions that include, distance, direction, locations, and statements like "there is nothing to see here, keep moving"

• Just call security and let them deal with it.

• Keep calm, speak loudly, speak clearly, give simple directions, and speak with authority

If a suspected spinal injury occurs on deck (non-aquatic), how do lifeguards provide care?

• Lifeguards should activate the EAP and focus on basic spinal motion restriction until EMS arrives

• Lifeguards should start with basic stabilization, then backboard in a similar manner as would be performed in the water

• Lifeguards should quickly move the guest into an attraction, and then backboard them in the water

• Lifeguards should give the guest directions to EMS, because if the guest is out of water they are stable enough to walk

Two long whistle blasts are typically used to:

• Indicate a major emergency

• Activate the emergency action plan after five minutes

• Get the attention of other lifeguards

• Get the attention of guests