YMCA LIFEGUARD EXAM PREP QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
1) What are the "safe in six"? -- Answer ✔✔ - Prevent
- Recognize
- Activate Emergency action plan (EAP)
- Rescue
- Emergency Care
- Report
(PRERCR)
2) How many people die from drowning every year in the US? -- Answer ✔✔ 3,600
3) How many victims of fatal drownings are children 14 and under? -- Answer ✔✔
About one in five
4) What are the early warning signs in the water? -- Answer ✔✔ - Erratic behavior
- Weak stroke
- Hair in eyes
- Glassy/anxious looking eyes
- Two heads together (possible double drowning)
- Hand waving (common signal for help)
, - Unknowingly moving head towards rock/pier
- Clinging to objects
- Negative buoyancy
- Inability to verbally respond
5) How should you ask questions to a conscious spinal cord injury victim? What are
some questions to ask? -- Answer ✔✔ Ask for VERBAL answers, do not let
victim tilt head when answering questions!
- Do you know what happened?
- Do you have any pain anywhere? How much pain do you have?
- Do you feel light-headed? Are you nauseated?
- Can you feel your arms and legs? Can you move your arms and legs?
- Are you having difficulty breathing?
- Do you feel weak?
- Are you cold?
6) How do you rescue a conscious victim from the front? -- Answer ✔✔ -
Approach victim from the front
- Bring the tube in front of you and turn it in edge. Hold the rescue tube
with one hand at the nise and the other hand at the center
- Press the nose across the front of the victim and under one arm
- Push the victim's arm down on the rescue device
- Once victim grabs the device, continue to give reassurance
- If the victim does not grab the rescue tube, help the victim hold on by
quickly pushing the victim's arm down, trapping it under their arm
- Remind the victim to hold on
- Hold the victim's arm and use a rescue kick, continue to reassure them
7) How do you rescue a conscious victim from the rear? -- Answer ✔✔ - Approach
the victim from the rear
- Push the nose of the tube across victim's back and under victim's arm
- Take hand off the nose and place it on the victim's upper arm
- Press the victim's arm down, trapping the rescue tube or buoy
- Tow the victim to safety
, 8) How do you rescue a conscious victim that is just below the surface? -- Answer
✔✔ - Approach the front and slightly to the side of the victim
- Place rescue tube so it is between you and the victim
- Reach over the tube and grab the victim's wrist or forearm
- Pull that arm up and over the rescue tube or buoy to keep victim afloat on
the surface
- (Follow all other procedures for a conscious victim)
9) How do you rescue an injured, conscious victim on the surface? (HINT: first
priority is to keep the victim afloat and breathing, secondary goal is to avoid
further injury due to movement) -- Answer ✔✔ Upper extremity injury:
- Perform a conscious victim rescue from either front or rear
- Determine which body part is injured and place rescue tube under the
victim's armpit on the opposite side of the injury
- Hold onto the rescue tube and tow the victim to safety
Lower extremity injury:
- Perform a conscious victim rescue from either front or rear
- Press and hold victim's arm over the rescue tube
10) How do you rescue an unresponsive victim from the front? (HINT: victim will be
facedown and motionless in the water, with no sign of spinal injury) -- Answer
✔✔ - Place the tube between you and the victim so that it crosses the front of
your body. Place your left hand on the center of the tube
- Reach over the tube with your right hand while submerging the tube
slightly with your left hand
- Reach your right hand to the underside of the victim's opposite wrist (as if
you were shaking hands) with your thumb on top
- Turn the victim faceup by pulling the arm down and then back up towards
the surface (draw a U with the victim's arm)
- Simultaneously, push down with your left hand to submerge the tube while
pulling the victim's wrist just past your ear to bring the victim onto the
tube
- With your left hand, push the tube until it reaches a position below the
victim's shoulder blades
- Once the tube is under the victim's back, position yourself to the side of
the victim's head
ANSWERS
1) What are the "safe in six"? -- Answer ✔✔ - Prevent
- Recognize
- Activate Emergency action plan (EAP)
- Rescue
- Emergency Care
- Report
(PRERCR)
2) How many people die from drowning every year in the US? -- Answer ✔✔ 3,600
3) How many victims of fatal drownings are children 14 and under? -- Answer ✔✔
About one in five
4) What are the early warning signs in the water? -- Answer ✔✔ - Erratic behavior
- Weak stroke
- Hair in eyes
- Glassy/anxious looking eyes
- Two heads together (possible double drowning)
- Hand waving (common signal for help)
, - Unknowingly moving head towards rock/pier
- Clinging to objects
- Negative buoyancy
- Inability to verbally respond
5) How should you ask questions to a conscious spinal cord injury victim? What are
some questions to ask? -- Answer ✔✔ Ask for VERBAL answers, do not let
victim tilt head when answering questions!
- Do you know what happened?
- Do you have any pain anywhere? How much pain do you have?
- Do you feel light-headed? Are you nauseated?
- Can you feel your arms and legs? Can you move your arms and legs?
- Are you having difficulty breathing?
- Do you feel weak?
- Are you cold?
6) How do you rescue a conscious victim from the front? -- Answer ✔✔ -
Approach victim from the front
- Bring the tube in front of you and turn it in edge. Hold the rescue tube
with one hand at the nise and the other hand at the center
- Press the nose across the front of the victim and under one arm
- Push the victim's arm down on the rescue device
- Once victim grabs the device, continue to give reassurance
- If the victim does not grab the rescue tube, help the victim hold on by
quickly pushing the victim's arm down, trapping it under their arm
- Remind the victim to hold on
- Hold the victim's arm and use a rescue kick, continue to reassure them
7) How do you rescue a conscious victim from the rear? -- Answer ✔✔ - Approach
the victim from the rear
- Push the nose of the tube across victim's back and under victim's arm
- Take hand off the nose and place it on the victim's upper arm
- Press the victim's arm down, trapping the rescue tube or buoy
- Tow the victim to safety
, 8) How do you rescue a conscious victim that is just below the surface? -- Answer
✔✔ - Approach the front and slightly to the side of the victim
- Place rescue tube so it is between you and the victim
- Reach over the tube and grab the victim's wrist or forearm
- Pull that arm up and over the rescue tube or buoy to keep victim afloat on
the surface
- (Follow all other procedures for a conscious victim)
9) How do you rescue an injured, conscious victim on the surface? (HINT: first
priority is to keep the victim afloat and breathing, secondary goal is to avoid
further injury due to movement) -- Answer ✔✔ Upper extremity injury:
- Perform a conscious victim rescue from either front or rear
- Determine which body part is injured and place rescue tube under the
victim's armpit on the opposite side of the injury
- Hold onto the rescue tube and tow the victim to safety
Lower extremity injury:
- Perform a conscious victim rescue from either front or rear
- Press and hold victim's arm over the rescue tube
10) How do you rescue an unresponsive victim from the front? (HINT: victim will be
facedown and motionless in the water, with no sign of spinal injury) -- Answer
✔✔ - Place the tube between you and the victim so that it crosses the front of
your body. Place your left hand on the center of the tube
- Reach over the tube with your right hand while submerging the tube
slightly with your left hand
- Reach your right hand to the underside of the victim's opposite wrist (as if
you were shaking hands) with your thumb on top
- Turn the victim faceup by pulling the arm down and then back up towards
the surface (draw a U with the victim's arm)
- Simultaneously, push down with your left hand to submerge the tube while
pulling the victim's wrist just past your ear to bring the victim onto the
tube
- With your left hand, push the tube until it reaches a position below the
victim's shoulder blades
- Once the tube is under the victim's back, position yourself to the side of
the victim's head
