Back to basics: Developing a beach lifeguard training

programme for the low-resource environment

 International Development
Aim: To better understand the global drowning burden, develop sustainable
solutions and build local capacity, targeting the most vulnerable communities.

1) Campaigning & Advocacy

2) Programme Development & Innovation
3) Capacity Building & Leadership Development

• Search & Rescue

• Flood Preparedness
• Lifeguarding
• Aquatic Survival
 A low-resource problem…

 Lifesaving in many high-resource countries are well

funded

 Technically advanced & expensive rescue equipment

 Lifeguard courses are often unsuited for environments

with limited resources

 Syllabuses & teaching resources have complicated

technical language & rescue techniques

 As a result, courses transferred from high to low

resource environments struggle to become sustainable
 History & development…
 Requests for help from new & developing lifesaving organisations

 In 2011 the Cox’s Bazar Surfing & Lifesaving Club requested assistance from the CIPRB

 Cox’s Bazar is a ‘tourist city’ that attracts 100,000’s of tourists each year

 Drowning deaths are a regular occurrence in Cox’s Bazar

 The CIPRB collaborated with the RNLI to develop a beach lifeguard training programme
specifically designed for the low-resource environment
 Course development…
 Reviewed existing programmes

 Rescues that required specialist equipment removed

or adapted

 Methods of operational best practice were also

adapted

 Results used to inform and develop a new ‘low-

resource’ beach lifeguard syllabus

 CIPRB & RNLI instructors delivered a pilot course to

15 candidates in March 2012

 Lessons learnt from the delivery of the course were

used to revise the course syllabus.
 New resources…
Two training manuals, certificates and an optional
presentation developed to support delivery of the
syllabus:

Student manual:

Mainly pictorial, simple language, no resources

Instructor’s manual:

Basic supporting information on how to develop

the operational capacity of a lifeguard
organisation and intuitive lesson plans

Also available online and in a range of languages:

English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swahili, Thai
and Bengali

Open source – no copyright and can be adapted

 Success so far…

 Courses successfully delivered: Bangladesh, Senegal, Thailand, Tanzania, Zanzibar &

Uganda

 Integrated within the Future Leaders in Lifesaving course

 Well received with national adoption in several countries

 Creating employment opportunities

 ITS SAVED LIVES!

 Lessons identified…
 Resources from high-resource countries are often inappropriate

 Lifesaving organisations in low resource settings require resources that are

appropriate for their local environment

 Collaboration with local organisations is a vital component

 Promoting international collaboration and review, and disseminating resources as

open-source material encourages the sharing of best practice
 What next…
 Expand programme further

 Ensure sustainability

 Measure impact

 Using the same principle to develop a ‘swim &

survive’ programme for Africa
 Thank you…
For more information please follow the link below rnli.org/international

Steve Wills swills@rnli.org.uk

Tom Mecrow thomasmecrow@yahoo.co.uk