Introduction

Training and education is a vital aspect of lifesaving, especially for all new and current lifesavers. Each and every one of us has a duty of care to members of the public and to our fellow lifesavers to maintain and regularly update our skills.

Training and education at Hampton LSC is tasked to the Chief Instructor who leads a highly motivated team of instructors. Tasks include training of new and current members in various SLSA awards, annual proficiency checks of active lifesavers, and attending local, state and national courses and lectures to maintain currency and keep abreast of the latest trends in lifesaving education.

Club Training Team

Your Club training team for Season 2008/2009 are:

• Chief Instructor: David Barnes
• Assistant Chief Instructor: Trevor Bombardieri
• Club Captain: Gavan Turner
• Resuscitation Instructor: David Barnes
• First Aid Officer: Nick Forbes
• Assistant Instructors: Gavan Turner, Anne Tammesild, James Costa, Chris Eastman.

Requalification Training

The Club is conducting requalification refresher training sessions for members to brush up on their skills before requal. These sessions are on:

• Mon 27 Oct 08 @ HLSC from 1900-2100hrs
• Mon 3 Nov 08 @ HLSC from 1900-2100hrs
• Mon 10 Nov 08 @ HLSC from 1900-2100hrs

Club 2008-2009 Training Program

(An overview of dates for training during the 2008/2009 season can be found HERE)

Season 2007/2008 was a great year for the Club in terms of training. There was tremendous spirit amongst Club members to renew skills and gain new qualifications, especially from people doing training so they can help out on the beach for patrols and water safety during Nipper activities. It was fantastic to see so many Nipper parents gaining qualifications and getting involved in Club life. It all helps in making sure that the Club meets our very reason for existence – providing a safe environment for the public at the beach. In total, Club members achieved over 100 individual lifesaving awards or completed some form of lifesaving education last season which is just a sensational result and shows what a great spirit there is at the Club.

The Club wants to make this new season even more successful so we are planning to run plenty of training including some in different ways to offer as many people as possible the chance to get involved. This includes some chances for some of our Nippers and junior members to get some formal qualifications under their belt. All of the details are planned dates are on the Club Program available on this website but for a quick summary here is what is planned:

1. ATV Orientation

As you all know every patrol’s favourite new toy is the ATV – those days of hauling the IRB on and off the beach are long gone (thank goodness)! However, it is a LSV requirement that people be inducted on the ATV to ensure its safe use. To make it easy, this induction for all members with current driver/motorcycle licences will be included as part of the requal day so that we can record it on Surfguard. It won’t take long, you only need to do it once (no requal) and the induction will include a bit of a driving course and trailer challenge.

2. Bronze Medallion

The Club will be conducting (numbers dependant) two Bronze courses this season. It’s a great qualification to get and for anyone who is interested the only pre-requisites are you are 15 y.o and can complete an easy 400m swim. The fist course will be held from November to December 2008 mainly on Monday nights with only a little weekend training so it suits busy families. The second course is a much shorter duration intensive one in January held over two consecutive weekends with a two Monday nights of training in between. The qualification means you can act as water safety during Nipper’s activities (great fun) and also help out the Club if possible by doing a patrol a month and provide a safe swimming environment for the public on our beach. If you’re interested in either then email the Chief Instructor or ring on 0407437974.

3. Advanced Resuscitation Certificate

The Club has again set itself the target of trying to get every Bronze member an ARC qualification. It’s a great qualification to have and it is a requirement for at least one member of every patrol to hold the qualification, so the more people we can qualify the greater flexibility in patrol rosters. The only pre-requisite is that you are 15 y.o. A number of courses are available so if you’re interested then email the Chief Instructor or ring on 0407437974.

4. IRB Driver and Crew

The IRB is an essential lifesaving tool and we would like to try and qualify every bronze as an IRB crew member and every current IRB crew member as a Driver. The only pre-requisites are that Crew need to 15 y.o and hold a Bronze qualification and that Driver’s need to hold Victorian Boat licence which is pretty easy to get. We actively use patrol time to build up individual’s hours and increase their experience/confidence in IRB operations. To help us achieve this aim there will be two IRB courses this season. If you’re interested then email the Chief Instructor or ring on 0407437974.

Certificate II in Public Safety (Aquatic Rescue) Upgrade

Over the last few years there have been changes to surf life saving skills and procedures. These changes mean that people now completing a Bronze Medallion also receive nationally recognised qualifications in the form of a PUA21004 – Certificate II in Public Safety (Aquatic Rescue). Lifesaving Victoria (LSV) requires Clubs to conduct training to enable current Bronze Medallion award holders to attend proficiency training as well as complete additional assessment required for award of the Cert II. A number of current Club Bronze Medallion holders need to do the upgrade.

There are four steps to completing the in-depth proficiency and upgrade:

Step One:

You must attend a pre-proficiency training session. This session will bring you up to date in the new skills and in changes to LSV procedures. It also introduces the proficiency workbooks you need to complete. Hampton LSC intends to run this training session on two occasions:

• Monday 13 October 2008 – Hampton LSC
• Monday 20 October 2008 – Hampton LSC

Step Two:

You must complete and return an Authenticity statement. This is a simple declaration that the workbook you are submitting is your own work.

Step Three:

You must complete an in-depth proficiency workbook. These need to be completed and submitted when you attend the Club proficiency day. The workbook can be completed in your own time before assessment. It includes a number of practical tasks using peer assessment which we intend to conduct as part of the proficiency day assessment.

Step Four:

You must attend a Club proficiency day. This day is scenario based and formally assesses practical skills required for the award of the Cert II. Hampton LSC will run this session after we have run proficiency requalification training in Oct/Nov 2008 (flier attached). Because of the shortage of assessors we will be unable to organise more than one formal assessment day so you must attend the rostered date – this will be advised via email once the availability of assessors is confirmed.

Upgrading to the new Cert II (Aquatic Rescue) is an important initiative and forms part of the ongoing efforts by SLSA to assist all of us in maintaining and developing our skills. Your cooperation in ensuring that Hampton LSC can get all of its members through this by the end of Season 2008/2009 is much appreciated.

Conclusion

Well that is all for the moment. The Club training program for the season is available on this – if you have any queries please call the Chief Instructor. Otherwise get in contact with one of the training team with what courses you would like to attend so we can put you on the list and ensure you are kept up to date. Pass the word about the program for this year and if you know anyone (member, ex-member or prospective new member) who is interested in getting involved them let them know as Hampton LSC is always happy to discuss what the Club can offer.