Lifeguard Training

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Lifeguards: Starting at $17.00/hour

Lifeguard/Swim Instructors: Starting at $17.75/hour

Head Lifeguards: Starting at $18.50/hour

Lifeguards must be at least 15 years of age, and Lifeguard/Swim Instructors and Head Lifeguards must be at least 16 years of age.

Lifeguard

Other benefits you get working with the City of Brighton team:

  • Recreation benefits for you and your immediate family members living in the same household:
    • A free wellness pass to the Brighton Recreation Center
    • 50% off internal youth sports league registrations
    • 50% off community room/park shelter rentals for reservations 30 days prior to the reservation date
    • Immediate families for the purpose of these benefits are defined as:
      • Employees aged 21 and younger: parent/guardian, sibling, and stepsibling residing in the same household
      • Spouse/partner, child, stepchild, and/or foster children all residing in the same household
  • Accrued paid sick leave
  • Flexible schedule that will work around school/extracurriculars
  • Opportunities to move up for higher pay with training and development provided
  • The most fun workplace in town!

Upcoming Lifeguard Trainings

Age Day Dates Time
15+ Sat-Mon Dec 17 - 19 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
15+ Sat-Mon Jan 14 - 16 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
15+ Sat-Mon Feb 25 - 27 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
15+ Sat-Mon March 18 - 20 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
15+ Thurs-Sat March 23 - 25 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
15+ Sat-Mon April 22 - 24 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
15+ Sat-Mon April 29 - May 1 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
15+ Sat-Mon May 6 - 8 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Please call 303-655-2200 to register. Full attendance to all three days is required to complete the class. If you have an account with the Birghton Recreation Center: Register here

Brighton Aquatics offers lifeguard courses with the intent to hire successful candidates. If you are looking for a flexible, positive work environment, apply now!


If you are 14 years old and interested in lifeguarding, consider applying for our Junior Lifeguard Volunteer program at the Oasis! We will give you a season pass to the Oasis, a Red Cross CPR certification and train you on lifeguard rescues, teach you the ropes at the Oasis over the summer, and your volunteer hours can be applied to high school volunteer requirements. If you complete the program of 120 hours, we will hire you as an experienced lifeguard once you are of age and have completed your full Lifeguard certification course.

To apply to the Junior Lifeguard program, please send a simple letter of interest to Taylor at tkrolopp@brightonco.gov 

If you don't feel like a strong enough swimmer to be a lifeguard, please reach out to the Aquatics Coordinator at 303-655-2211 so we can help you get ready for your swim tests! You do not need to have a swim team background to be a successful lifeguard candidate, but you do need to be comfortable in the water in athletically challenging situations. Our dedicated team of lifeguard instructors can help get you there!


American Red Cross Blended Learning

Lifeguard Training

The blended learning lifeguard training is an accelerated version of our lifeguard training. Candidates must be 15 years of age by the last day of class. Candidates must complete an online portion of training prior to the first day of class, and all pre-requisite swim tests must be completed by the end of the first day of class, or the lifeguard candidate will not be able to continue in the course. We run our classes with the intent to hire successful lifeguard candidates to work at the Brighton Recreation Center and Brighton Oasis upon completion of the course!

We offer two options for lifeguard certification - standard and City of Brighton site-specific.

Both courses are the same curriculum, skills, and standards to pass, but the site-specific certification allows us to certify lifeguards who will work at the Brighton Oasis or the Brighton Recreation Center at no cost! If you opt in to the site-specific certification program and work as a lifeguard for the City of Brighton, there are options to earn your standard certification at reduced cost or free of charge. Call the Aquatics Supervisor at 303-655-2212 with questions about the program.

1. American Red Cross Lifeguarding - City of Brighton - Cost FREE!

The Site-Specific Certification is a 1-year certification that is the property of the issuing agency, in this case - the City of Brighton. Because it is the property of the City of Brighton, it is only valid at City of Brighton operated facilities (Brighton Oasis, Brighton Recreation Center). It is not valid at facilities that are within City of Brighton boundaries but not operated by the City of Brighton. It will include ARC Lifeguarding, CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, First Aid, Blood Borne Pathogens, and Administering Emergency Oxygen.

2. American Red Cross Lifeguarding - Standard - Cost $200

The Standard Certification is a 2-year certification that is the property of the person certified, and is valid at any location that accepts American Red Cross certifications (including the City of Brighton). It will include ARC Lifeguarding, CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, First Aid, Blood Borne Pathogens, and Administering Emergency Oxygen.

For questions about the lifeguard course or City of Brighton certification program call Taylor at 303-655-2211.


Note: Lifeguard Training is a blended learning class. Prior to the first day of classroom work, you must have completed the online learning portion of your training which is about 7 hours of learning. Don't wait until the night before!

You also must be able to complete the prerequisite skills by the end of the first day to continue. Swim lessons and endurance building are not able to be provided during the Lifeguard Training course and should be addressed before the first day of class.

  • 300 yard (12 lengths of the lap pool) non-stop swim using freestyle, breaststroke, or a combination of the two
  • Tread water for two minutes with the use of legs only
  • Without the use of goggles - swim 20 yds to the deep end of the pool, retrieve a 10lb brick from water 9ft deep using a surface dive, and swim the brick 20 yds back to the shallow end. While swimming the brick back, both hands must be on the brick.