YMCA LIFEGUARDING 2026 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔What are the early warning signs in the water? - ✔✔- 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
✔✔How should you ask questions to a conscious spinal cord injury victim? What are
some questions to ask? - ✔✔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?
✔✔How do you rescue a conscious victim from the front? - ✔✔- 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
✔✔How do you rescue a conscious victim from the rear? - ✔✔- 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
, ✔✔How do you rescue a conscious victim that is just below the surface? - ✔✔-
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)
✔✔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) - ✔✔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
✔✔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) - ✔✔- 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
- Reach your arm over the victim's upper arm and down (between victim's upper arm
and chest), so the victim's arm is secured under your armpit
- Mover the victim towards safety
- Move to the right side of the victim's head and get your resuscitation mask ready to
use. Place hand on the victim's forehead and tilt it back to check the airway and
breathing as you continue to move towards safety. If victim is not breathing, use your
resuscitation mask and perform in-water rescue breathing
- Tow the victim to safety
✔✔How do you rescue an unresponsive victim from the rear? - ✔✔(HINT: from the rear)
- With your right hand, bring the tube into position, crossing it in front of your body so
the tail of the tube is on your right side
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔What are the early warning signs in the water? - ✔✔- 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
✔✔How should you ask questions to a conscious spinal cord injury victim? What are
some questions to ask? - ✔✔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?
✔✔How do you rescue a conscious victim from the front? - ✔✔- 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
✔✔How do you rescue a conscious victim from the rear? - ✔✔- 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
, ✔✔How do you rescue a conscious victim that is just below the surface? - ✔✔-
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)
✔✔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) - ✔✔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
✔✔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) - ✔✔- 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
- Reach your arm over the victim's upper arm and down (between victim's upper arm
and chest), so the victim's arm is secured under your armpit
- Mover the victim towards safety
- Move to the right side of the victim's head and get your resuscitation mask ready to
use. Place hand on the victim's forehead and tilt it back to check the airway and
breathing as you continue to move towards safety. If victim is not breathing, use your
resuscitation mask and perform in-water rescue breathing
- Tow the victim to safety
✔✔How do you rescue an unresponsive victim from the rear? - ✔✔(HINT: from the rear)
- With your right hand, bring the tube into position, crossing it in front of your body so
the tail of the tube is on your right side
