City partners with local high school to offer new lifeguarding co-op program
It's a brand new program for Bear Creek secondary school students.
The school now offers a lifeguarding co-op program in partnership with the City Of Barrie.
Students will receive two credits and full lifeguarding qualifications.
"They are getting their bronze medallion, their bronze cross, their standard first aid, emergency first aid, as well as their national lifeguarding certificate," said Jodi Green, a Bear Creek Secondary School teacher.
The program runs out of the Peggy Hill Community Centre and is offered to students grades 10 to 12.
"We've been doing in pool work and dry work so we learn CPR and that kind of stuff. But we've also been working on stroke development, diving, in water rescues."
For some, it will help in future careers.
"I want to be a firefighter when I'm older, so I was hoping that I would be able to get my certifications to make the process easier," said Jaiden Vankolfschoten, a grade 11 Bear Creek Student.
The city of Barrie employs 180 lifeguards. However, staff say the turnover rate is high and must hire 60 to 80 new lifeguards annually.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
"Having partners like the school board to work with us to solve that problem is a huge help to not only us but the community that we serve," said Joey Rusnak, the Barrie Recreation Program Supervisor.
Rusnak says having lifeguards is critical to keeping the community safe.
"Less than one per cent of drownings in Canada happen around lifeguards," said Rusnak.
Once students graduate from the lifeguarding co-op program, the city can hire them.
"When we hire them on, they do another 40 hours of training with us, and they can work at our beaches, our swimming pools, teaching, swimming lessons, or lifeguarding. It's a really good pipeline for them to join our team," continued Rusnak.
The City Of Barrie is still looking to employ more lifeguards for summer. Anyone interested in applying is encouraged to do so.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.