Lifeguards take a final training plunge as public pools open
About 130 lifeguards for community pools in Stanislaus and south San Joaquin counties gathered for training at Johansen High School in Modesto on Friday morning as more public pools are set to open for summer recreational swimming.
The training was presented by the California Park & Recreation Society, which includes Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Merced and Mariposa counties. Lifeguards being trained were from Ceres, Modesto, Riverbank, Manteca, Escalon, Oakdale and the Stanislaus County Police Activities League.
Between 10 a.m. and noon, the lifeguards went through three training stations: deep-water extraction, shallow-water rescue and, on dry land, patient assessment training from the Modesto and Ceres fire departments. The in-water training was run by Pete DeQuincy from the East Bay Parks and Recreation Department.
“You can be a lifeguard at 15. ... Out here today we have first-year ones, second year, all the way to pool managers and veteran lifeguards,” said Ashley Weaver, city of Modesto recreation supervisor. “Everyone here already has their certification. This is an extra training we put them through to kick off summer.”
The Johansen High pool, whose depth runs from 31/2 to 14 feet, is Modesto’s only community pool. It opens Monday through Aug. 7, with open-swim hours from 1 to 4 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. Six lifeguards are on duty during open-swim hours.
The pools at Beyer and Davis high schools used to be open for summer swimming, but budget restrictions from a few years back forced the city to cut back to just one community pool, Weaver said. “But we do offer swimming lessons at Johansen and at John Burris Pool at Sonoma Elementary (an indoor pool used year-round) and at the Graceada Park wading pool.”
Burris and Graceada are smaller pools, used for adult-and-child, preschool and level 1 and 2 classes. All those are taught at Johansen, too, which also offers classes for levels 3 through 5, Weaver said. “We also offer springboard-diving and junior lifeguard classes,” she said. There’s no certification upon completing the junior lifeguard course, she said, “but you learn what to expect if you’re interested in becoming a lifeguard.”
All lesson schedules can be seen in the recreation department’s activities guide or at www.modestogov.com/prnd.
Deke Farrow: (209) 578-2327
Water safety
Lifeguards recommend swimmers of all expertise levels follow certain precautions to stay safe and have fun in the water. They include:
▪ Swim in supervised areas with a lifeguard on duty; never swim in canals.
▪ Obey all safety signs and warning flags.
▪ Know where the deeper water starts, and enter on the shallow end.
▪ Supervise small children at all times when near or in the water.
▪ Do not run or roughhouse around the pool.
▪ Wear sunscreen, and reapply it after a couple of hours.
▪ Remember to drink water and stay hydrated throughout the day.
▪ Take swimming lessons.
Pool openings, swim classes
A listing of community pool openings and swim lessons run by city parks and recreation departments in Stanislaus County this summer:
MODESTO
▪ Public recreational swim: (begins Monday)
Johansen High pool, 641 Norseman Drive
Open 1-4 p.m., Monday-Saturday
Admission: $1 children 17 and under; $2 adult; $1.25 seniors and disabled
▪ Swim classes: (begin Monday)
Burris Pool at Sonoma Elementary, 1325 Sonoma Ave.
Graceada Park pool, 401 Needham St.
Johansen High pool, 641 Norseman Drive
Eight-session courses start Monday, July 6 and July 20
Cost: $35
Call (209) 577-5344
TURLOCK
▪ Public Recreational Swim:
Columbia Park pool, 600 Columbia St. (begins Saturday), noon-5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 12:15-2:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday
Pitman High pool, 2525 W. Christoffersen Parkway (begins Monday), 12:15-2:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Turlock High pool, 1600 E. Canal Drive (begins Monday), 12:15-2:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday
Admission: $1 children, $2 adult
▪ Swim classes:
Columbia Park Pool, 600 Columbia St.
Pitman High Pool, 2525 W. Christoffersen Pkwy.
Turlock High Pool, 1600 E. Canal Drive
Sessions begin June 29, July 13 and, at Columbia Park Pool only, July 27
Cost: $42
See https://ci.turlock.ca.us/citydepartments/parksrecreationfacilities/recreation
CERES
▪ Public Recreational Swim: (begins Saturday)
Ceres High pool, 2320 Central Ave.
Open noon to 4 p.m., Friday-Sunday
Admission: $2 children, $2.50 adults
▪ Swim classes:
Ceres High pool, 2320 Central Ave.
Sessions start Monday, July 6 and July 27
Cost: $42
Call (209) 538-5628, see https://apm.activecommunities.com/ceresparksrecreationfacilities/Home
RIVERBANK
▪ Public Recreational Swim: (began June 1)
Riverbank Community Pool, corner of Seventh and Stanislaus streets
1-3:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday and noon-4 p.m., Saturday
Admission: $2
▪ Swim classes: (began June 1)
Sessions continue Monday, June 29, July 13 and July 27
Cost: $50 residents, $55 nonresidents
Call (209) 863-7150, visit www.riverbank.org/Depts/Recreation/Display%20Pages/Aquatics.aspx
OAKDALE
▪ Public Recreational Swim: (began May 30)
Royse Memorial Plunge, 555 N. Third Ave.
1-4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 1-5 p.m., Friday, and noon-5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday
Admission: $1 children under 14, $2 age 15 and up
▪ Swim classes: (began June 8)
Royse Memorial Plunge, 555 North Third Ave.
Sessions continue June 22, July 6 and July 20
Cost: $45
Call (209) 845-3591, visit www.oakdalegov.com/#!recreation/c222d
PATTERSON
▪ Public Recreational Swim: (opens Saturday)
Patterson Aquatic Center, 1025 W. Las Palmas Ave.
Noon-3 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 1-5 p.m., Friday-Sunday
Admission: $3 swimmers, $1 non-swimmers
▪ Swim classes (begin Monday):
Patterson Aquatic Center, 1025 W. Las Palmas Ave.
Sessions continue June 29, July 13, July 27, Aug. 10, Aug. 24
Cost: $50
Call (209) 895-8000, visit www.ci.patterson.ca.us/542/Swim-Lessons
EMPIRE
(Run by the Stanislaus County Police Activities League)
▪ Public Recreational Swim: (opened June 2)
Regional Water Safety Training Center, Empire Pool, 10 I St.
12:30-2:45 p.m. and 3-5:30 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, and 12:30-3 p.m. and 3:15-5:45 p.m., Saturday-Sunday
Admission: $1.50 swimmer, $1 nonswimmer weekdays; $2 swimmer, $1 nonswimmer weekends
▪ Swim classes: (began June 8)
Regional Water Safety Training Center,
Empire Pool, 10 I St.
Sessions continue June 29 and July 20
Cost: $35
Call (209) 529-9121, visit http://stancopal.org/aquatics
This story was originally published June 12, 2015 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Lifeguards take a final training plunge as public pools open."