Seasonal Ocean Lifeguard
Certificate of Performance Lifeguarding · San Diego Miramar College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Summary
The Open Water Lifeguard certificate and degree prepare students for full-time positions as ocean and inland beach lifeguards.
Award Notes: A Certificate of Performance is a departmental award that does not appear on the student’s transcript. All courses must be completed within the San Diego Community College District. This program is not eligible for federal financial aid in accordance with Federal regulations.
Learning Outcome(s): Students who complete the Seasonal Ocean Lifeguard Program will be able to:
- Describe basic principles of beach management including communication, personnel deployment, use of vehicles and vessels, use of public address systems, and maintenance of water activity zones. Demonstrate the ability to assess and treat sick and injured patients in the field at the level of an emergency medical technician.
- Calculate flow requirements for fire apparatus, diagram a pump and plumbing schematic for fire apparatus, and apply mathematic formulae to hydraulics problems.
- Identify minimum qualifications and entry level skills for firefighter hiring. The student will be able to describe the following elements: application process; written exam process; physical agility exam, oral interview, chief’s interview; background investigation; and fire fighter probationary process. Students will identify fire service history, culture and diversity.
- Identify and describe the apparatus used in the f ire service, and the equipment and maintenance of fire apparatus and equipment.
- Analyze the causes of fire, determine extinguishing agents and methods, differentiate the stages of the fire and fire development, and compare methods of heat transfer
- Identify and describe common types of building construction and conditions associated with structural collapse and firefighter safety. Differentiate between fire detection and fire suppression systems. Student will design and diagram a wet and dry fire protection system, and identify alarm system components and their operations.
- Demonstrate the ability to analyze, appraise and evaluate fire and emergency incidents and identify components of emergency management and fire fighter safety including: Size-up, report on conditions, Incident Command System; RECEO; 10 Standard Firefighting Orders; 18 Situations that Shout “Watch Out “; and common factors associated with injuries and line of duty deaths.
- Describe proper techniques for observation and detection of distressed swimmers in open water. Describe the common visual scanning patterns for water observation and explain the appropriate application of each. Identify common water rescue adjuncts including swim fins, rescue buoys, and rescue boards; explain their function, care, and maintenance; and demonstrate the ability to use each item to rescue distressed swimmers in open water.
- Identify and comprehend laws, regulations, codes and standards that influence fire department operations, and identify regulatory and advisory organizations that create and mandate them, especially in the areas of fire prevention, building codes and ordinances, and firefighter health and safety.