ISLA Completes First Lifesaving Course in the U.S.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - Oct. 14, 2013 - PRLog -- ISLA joined forces with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP) Lifeguards Without Borders (LWB) to conduct their first Open Water/Surf Lifeguard training course in the U.S. in Holland, Michigan.

Six volunteer lifeguards from ISLA and two volunteers from Lifeguards Without Boarders teamed up to teach The Great Lakes Training Project, which aimed to strengthen lifeguard operations around the Great Lakes area and to bring further training to the region’s lifeguards. The Great Lakes currently has some of the highest drowning rates in the United States.

Seventeen participants from around the Midwest and east coast, including firefighters, paramedics, lifeguards, and other water related professionals, challenged themselves to the 30-hour intensive open water course. They attended lectures and examinations in the classroom and then hit the water for hands-on practical training and physically demanding activities. Certification was earned only after passing the final exam and an instructor-led mock drowning. “The participants pushed themselves both mentally and physically. All seventeen passed the course and earned their certification,” said Olin Patterson, Director of ISLA and course instructor.

“The training was harder than anything I’ve ever done: Fire Academy, triathlons, Cross Fit…It was truly a humbling experience. I’ve been a Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor for thirty years and these three days made me a better lifeguard by a factor of ten!” commented Bob Pratt, Director of Education for the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project and course participant.

Since 2010, three-hundred and twenty people have drowned in the Great Lakes, and sixty people have drowned so far this year. “We’re going to give people the tools they need to prevent a tragic situation and empower them to go beyond our training,” stated William Koon, Vice President of Operations for ISLA.

Founded in 2008, ISLA exists to advance professional lifesaving development to areas in need around the globe. Comprised entirely of volunteers; the organization provides training, medical supplies, disaster relief, and emergency personnel to communities in need around the world.