One issue addressed at standards open hearings in Dallas was the acceptance of aquatic certifications from other countries to meet requirements of the revised ACA standards. The National Standards Board was concerned with the impact state regulations and changing requirements/certifications were having on providing a consistent standard of care. Those concerns were weighed against recommendations from international aquatic agencies and the high confidence level expressed by camp directors for aquatics staff with international training. The standards approved at the national conference will accept international aquatic certifications as long as they meet the minimum recommendation of an ACA-approved aquatic certifying body.

Camps should be aware that while ACA continues to recognize certain international certifications, not all individual states do. Several states refuse to acknowledge any international aquatic certifications, while others simply require that a certain percentage of a camp's waterfront staff have US certifications. Camps must meet the standard for ACA accreditation, but must also be aware of and meet state and local laws for licensing. Additionally, camp directors should be aware of applicable state and local bathing codes.

The Standards department is continuing to contact aquatic organizations to gather minimum certification requirements which relate to various aquatic standards. These certifications will be compiled into a list which will be made available to camps and visitors and updated annually.

Among the aquatic organizations being contacted are the American Red Cross, YMCA, Ellis and Associates, Royal Life Saving Society (UK, Canada, Australia), Canadian Red Cross, International Life Saving Society, and others. A camp director faced with hiring staff with certifications from an organization not listed in the final document should contact the ACA Standards Department for approval.

One significant point gathered from contacts with the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) is that the Bronze Medallion Life Saving Award is no longer considered to be appropriate for lifeguarding in camp aquatic settings. RLSS states that appropriate certification is National Pool Lifeguard, or Open Water Lifeguard. While the swimming skills of Bronze Medallion holders are high and this training serves as a great prerequisite for lifeguards, further training is necessary in the areas of supervision and safety for a person to be certified as a guard.

Aquatic organizations across the board make a clear distinction between life saving and lifeguarding. Life saving is a reactive role. The courses teach self-rescue, elementary forms of rescue (reaching, throwing, wading assists) with equipment, in-line stabilization for spinal injury, and the "Good Samaritan" response on a voluntary basis.

Lifeguarding, on the other hand, is a proactive role. The lifeguard course focuses on risk management to prevent incidents when possible, scanning the environment and recognizing victims, swimming rescues with or without equipment, managing spinal injuries, performing appropriate First Aid and CPR, and having the professional duty to respond. ACA standards require lifeguards whose certifications indicate the duty to respond.

If you have questions about the revision of the aquatic standards, please contact Pat Hammond in the Standards Department by calling 765-342-8456. More details will be made available in upcoming publications.

Originally published in the 1998 Spring issue of The CampLine.