Lifesaving 1, 2 and 3

Life Support, Life Support 3

Bronze Medallion

Award of Merit

National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ)

Extended Life Support

National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches

National Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NBLQ)

Lifesaving 1, 2 and 3: Great for the younger ones

The Lifesaving awards are an ideal set of awards for younger people to learn lifesaving skills and basic water safety. They lay the foundations for the Bronze Medallion award but can be accomplished at a younger age.

Life Support, Life Support 3: Basic life support in adults, children and babies

The Life Support awards are a series of awards designed to teach basic life support techniques. Life Support concentrates on adults while Life Support 3 introduce children and babies respectively. The syllabi include CPR, treating choking, shock and life-threatening bleeding. Life Support (or higher) is a pre-requisite for the Bronze Medallion and Award of Merit.

  Bronze Medallion: The RLSS flagship award

This is probably the most well known award for lifesaving and has had a facelift in recent years. The award gives an outstanding basis for those new to lifesaving and forms the basis for further awards the lifesaver may wish to pursue. Life Support is a pre-requisite for this award but the cost of training and assessment is included in the Bronze Medallion fee. The minimum age for achieving the award is 13 although if you hold Lifesaving 3 the age is reduced to 12.

Award of Merit: The next step after Bronze Medallion

Award of Merit leads on from Bronze Medallion and is an excellent way to increase your lifesaving skills and fitness levels. You will need to hold Bronze Medallion when going for this award as well as Life Support or higher – although this can be taught at the same time as Award of Merit. The minimum age for Award of Merit is 15.

 National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ): The nationally recognised qualification for pool lifeguards

The NPLQ award is recognised across the country as the award for pool lifeguards to hold.  BLRC is an approved training provider for the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification.  As we are a training provider as opposed to a training centre, we are able to offer courses at any facility.  This means that if you have a pool, then we can bring our course to you.  Why not come and take the qualification before the new holiday season starts so you can apply for jobs in holiday camps lifeguarding or do the course as an extra qualification to gain for yourself. You must be over 16 years old prior to date of assessment, to complete this course.

 Extended Life Support: Airway management and defibrillators

This course is the next step for those who have attended a course on Basic Life Support. It concentrates on ways of making basic life support more effective by the use of bag and mask, oxygen therapy and automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Life Support 3, or similar, is a pre-requisite for this award.

 National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches : For the safe supervision of pool-based, programmed aquatic activites

Whether you help out with the local school swimming lessons or coach the GB Olympic squad, your number one priority must always be the safety of the swimmers in your charge. This course is not a lifeguard qualification but trains the practical lifesaving skills which may be needed by anyone teaching or coaching swimming.

National Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NBLQ): For those operating on beaches

We currently have people training to be NBLQ trainers at the moment. If you would like to be one of the first to attend a course run by us, please contact us.