Story told by Acacia Cameron, Red Cross Volunteer

Carson Cook is a 16-year-old lifeguard who is very enthusiastic about her job and safety training. She lifeguards at a local indoor and outdoor pool up to 30 hours a week and is the first one of her peers to pick up a shift at a moment’s notice. Carson’s passion for water safety continues to grow with her training and education.

“I have wanted to be a lifeguard since I was little. Swimming can be both fun and dangerous… I wanted to provide kids with safety.” Carson goes on to mention that the more she learns about how dangerous simple, everyday things can be in and around the water, the more she wants to learn how to be an asset to her community and provide people with a capable and knowledgeable lifeguard.

The Lowcountry needs more people like Carson who are avid and vigilant learners of water safety. Being surrounded by water, the local citizens of the Lowcountry are at a heightened risk of adverse water events like injuries and drownings.

“People should know the signs of a distressed swimmer and how to help,” Carson warns against the breath-holding games many kids like to play in the pool that can cause them to pass out. “They go underwater as long as they can, then pop up for a breath and immediately go back under.”

Carson advises swimmers and caregivers to be aware of other dangers in and around water such as hitting your head on the edge of the pool or getting a calf cramp in the deep end. She encourages everyone to be aware of the danger and how more experienced swimmers can help keep smaller kids and less strong swimmers safe. Carson credits her American Red Cross training for lighting a fire under her in regards to water safety and injury management.

“I took the American Red Cross Basic Life Support and CRP course. I learned how to scan the pool,” Carson said. “Everything I use in my job I learned from the American Red Cross.”

The American Red Cross encourages families to build confidence in the water, for life, by learning to be safe, making good choices, learning to swim, and how to handle emergencies. Here are some tips to enjoy making a splash safely:

● Download the Red Cross Swim App. Take the free Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers Online course.

● Prevent unsupervised access to water. This can be done with a designated “Water Watcher” who is focused solely on people in the water, without distractions. Physical barriers like fences as

well as pool alarms are also encouraged.

● Learn how to swim and how to spot a distressed swimmer. Drowning behavior is usually fast and silent. Throw an object out to the person to pull them back in. Often, people who are distressed and drowning can pull you under.

● Take the ARC First Aid, Basic Life Support, and CPR course. Gain valuable knowledge on how to manage injuries and people who are in need of help.

● Remember you should only swim on a beach with a lifeguard on duty. Pay attention to local weather conditions and warnings as well.

● Do not dive head-first into any body of water to prevent head and spinal cord injuries. It is incredibly difficult to gauge water depth or to sometimes see objects in the water that could cause
serious injury.

● Understand what to do if you get caught in a rip current. Don’t fight it. Swim out
with the current, parallel to the shore, then back to shore when you are out of the current.

The Red Cross has been the premier lifeguard training organization for more than 100 years with over 300,000 people enrolling in courses each year. Lifeguarding candidates can gain the knowledge and skills to prevent, recognize, and respond to emergencies at pools, waterparks, and non-surf beaches. In addition to water rescues, participants learn first aid and CPR/AED skills — everything from treating scrapes and bites to rescuing a swimmer who needs help. To learn more and to register go to redcross.org/lifeguarding.