Through Vigilance Awareness Training (VAT), which skills are reinforced?

Vigilance Awareness Training (VAT) is designed to enhance the observational skills and situational awareness of lifeguards and other safety personnel. One of its primary focuses is on recognizing guests in distress. This skill is crucial because lifeguards must be able to detect subtle signs of trouble before they escalate into emergencies.

By training in vigilance, participants learn to identify behaviors and situations that may indicate a guest is struggling or in need of assistance. For instance, recognizing patterns such as a swimmer who is splashing excessively or someone who is too quiet and not moving as expected can alert lifeguards to potential dangers. This proactive approach helps ensure the safety of all guests by enabling staff to intervene early and effectively, thereby preventing accidents or injuries.

The other skills mentioned, such as making judgment calls under pressure, proactive decision-making, and establishing a communication protocol, are certainly important for a lifeguard’s overall effectiveness, but they are secondary to the essential capability of recognizing distress signals. If a lifeguard cannot identify that a guest is in trouble, none of these other skills can be effectively applied.