 | |
| Predecessor | Surf Life Saving Association of America; National Surf Life Saving Association |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1964 |
| Founded at | Los Angeles, California |
| Purpose | '"To reduce the incidence of death and injury in the aquatic environment." |
| Headquarters | Huntington Beach, California |
| [1] [2] | |
The United States Lifesaving Association is a nonprofit professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers in the United States. [3] [4]
The United States Lifesaving Association's predecessor organization was founded in 1956 by lifeguard agencies in and around Los Angeles, California as the Surf Life Saving Association of America to compete in an international lifesaving competition held concurrently with the 1956 Summer Olympics in Australia. [1] [3] Later, in 1964, the group renamed itself the National Surf Life Saving Association to include lifeguard agencies along the coast of California which is viewed as the official beginning of the organization. [1] [3] [5] [6] As it grew, in 1971, the United States Lifesaving Association was a founding member of World Life Saving which later merged into the International Life Saving Federation. [1] [3] [7] In 1979, as part of an effort to expand its scope nationally it renamed itself to the United States Lifesaving Association and opened membership to any lifesaving or rescue service. [1] [3] [5]
The organization has held organized lifesaving competitions since 1965 with the first national competition organized in 1980 and continuing annually. [1] [3] [8] [9]
The stated goal of the United States Lifesaving Association is to "Establish and maintain high standards of professional surf and open water lifesaving for the maximizing of public safety." [1] Alongside the International Life Saving Federation, the United States Lifesaving Association created a standardized system of beach warning flags. [1] [10] The organization also developed and maintains a national training and qualification manual for open water lifesaving as well as an accreditation program for local training programs. [1] [6] [11] [12] [13] Additionally, the United States Lifesaving Association partnered with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a national educational program concerning rip currents. [3]
The organization is made up of over 100 local chapters which host community lectures and disseminate safety information locally. [3] It is governed by a board of directors made up of individuals determined by regional subdivision which meets biannually. [14] [15]
The United States Lifesaving Association annually tabulates statistics from its chapters on drownings, rescues, and other lifesaving incidents. [6] [16] In 2001, based on ten years of data, the organization calculated that the chance that an individual will drown at a beach staffed by United States Lifesaving Association affiliated lifeguards as 1 in 18 million or 0.0000056% and has remained constant in the years since. [3] [6] [16]
Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, including New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Surf lifesavers in Australia are colloquially known as "Clubbies".
A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/AED first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on requirements of their particular venue. In some areas, lifeguards are part of the emergency services system to incidents and in some communities, lifeguards may function as the primary EMS provider.
The German Life Saving Association is a relief organization for life saving in Germany. The DLRG is the largest voluntary lifesaving organization in the world.
George Douglas Freeth Jr. was an American life guard and swimming instructor. Freeth was referred to in his day as the first white person to become expert at wave surfing, although he was of part Native Hawaiian descent. He and fellow Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku introduced the sport to the United States.
The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a drowning prevention charity founded in 1891 in the UK. It has had Royal Patronage since 1904.
Surf Life Saving Northern Region is the largest of four regions that make up Surf Life Saving New Zealand. As of the 2021/2022 season, it is made up of 18 clubs that look after 22 patrol locations from Ahipara to Raglan on the West Coast and from Whangārei Heads to Takapuna on the East Coast.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) is the national association representing 74 Surf Life Saving Clubs in New Zealand. The organisation's motto is 'In it for Life'. This refers to both the long relationship many members have with the organisation, as well as to the organisation's purpose of preventing drowning and injury, thereby saving lives.
Piha Surf Life Saving Club is a surf lifesaving club for the southern section of Piha, on the west coast of Auckland, New Zealand, some 45 km from the Auckland City centre. The patrol was featured in the TVNZ reality show Piha Rescue.
The International Life Saving Federation (ILS) is an organisation for drowning prevention, water safety, lifesaving and lifesaving sports.
The Royal Life Saving Society Canada, commonly known as the Lifesaving Society or LSS, is a Canadian registered charity that works to prevent water-related injuries through various programs across Canada. The Lifesaving Society is an independent organization that is composed of ten provincial/territorial branches, tens of thousands of individual members, and over 4,000 affiliated swimming pools, waterfronts, schools and clubs. The Society helps prevent drowning and aquatic injury through its training programs, public education, drowning-prevention research, safety management and overseeing the sport of lifesaving.
Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is an Australian not-for-profit community organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services.
Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue; however, it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. Lifesaving also refers to sport where lifesavers compete based on skills, speed and teamwork. Lifesaving activities specialized in oceanic environment is called surf lifesaving or coastal lifesaving.
A rescue buoy or rescue tube or torpedo buoy is a piece of lifesaving equipment used in water rescue. This flotation device can help support the victim's and rescuer's weight to make a rescue easier. It is an essential part of the equipment that must be carried by lifeguards. It further can act as a mark of identification, identifying an individual as a lifeguard.
National Water Life Saving Association (NWLSA), also known as Chinese Taipei Water Life Saving Association (CTWLSA), is the major lifesaving organization in Taiwan. The organization's members are mainly volunteer lifesavers, police officers, firefighters and civilians who are enthusiastic about water sports, water safety awareness and water rescue events.
The International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA) is a nonprofit organization that advances professional lifesaving development to areas in need around the globe. ISLA uses latest technology to identify areas in need. ISLA advances development through lifeguard training programs and aquatic rescue operation consults, lifeguard exchanges, equipment donations, and by integrating with drowning prevention organizations to share information, techniques, stories, and culture.
Robert "Bob" MacKenzie Burnside was appointed the first president of the Surf Life Saving Association of America in 1964, which later became known as the United States Lifesaving Association. In 1965, he was appointed president of the National Surf Life Saving Association. In 1967, he developed the revolutionary plastic “Burnside Rescue Can”, now a standard for lifeguards worldwide and iconic symbol of beach lifeguarding. He was a champion swimmer who introduced the Malibu balsa surfboard to Australia. He wrote the History of Junior Lifeguarding.
Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) is a South African organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services. LSA is a founding member organisation of the International Life Saving Federation, and a member of Royal Life Saving Society. It is recognised by SRSA and SASCOC.
Simon Lewis is an Australian lifeguard and volunteer surf lifesaver. Once the former St Kilda Lifesaving Club Captain, he is the only Australian lifeguard to have worked both major migration routes in Europe. He first became part of a team of six on lesvos Greece with International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA). Since joining the mission with ISLA, Lewis has completed seven humanitarian rescue missions with six NGOs saving the lives of over 1,900 African and Syrian refugees as they attempted to cross the dangerous waters of the Mediterranean Sea to Greece and Italy. As well as being the first Australian to become the head of mission on the central migration route for the German NGO Mission Lifeline, Lewis participated in the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) yearly telethon which raised over $800,000 for the organisation to continue to help those in dire need.
Lifesaving is an official discipline of the World Games, the Games with all the sports, recognized by the IOC but not yet in the Olympic program.
Pakistan Life Saving Foundation is a registered Non-Government Organization (NGO) in Pakistan. This internationally accredited NGO was established in 2004 for the purpose of providing life-saving services along the beaches of Karachi (Pakistan). It is the country’s only privately run, near-shore drowning prevention and rescue body. It employs around 250 trained lifeguards that belong to the neighboring coastal fishing communities.