Certifications

First Aid & CPR Certification

All Roughing It counselors and administrative staff must be certified in Adult and Pediatric First Aid and CPR/AED before the start of camp. The certificate must stay current through the duration of camp. Swim and waterfront staff will receive this training as part of their lifeguard certification (see below). 

Roughing It hosts a First Aid & CPR/AED course on the Sunday before the start of camp in Lafayette. For 2023 the cost is $50. The course is made up of a two-hour online course followed by a roughly hour-long in-person training. Please let us know if you are interested in signing up for the course so we can reserve your spot. Exact times and location will be provided before camp.

If you are not able to attend the Roughing It class, we accept American Red Cross (search classes) or American Heart Association (search classes) certificates. The course you sign up for can contain an online component (blended learning), but must include in-person training with an instructor. Roughing It will not accept certificates that are online only or are not through ARC or AHA.

Lifeguard Certification

All swim and waterfront staff must be ARC lifeguard certified before the start of staff training. The certificate must stay current through the duration of camp. We recommend signing up for a lifeguard class as soon as possible as courses are in high demand and fill up quickly. 

Roughing It reimburses lifeguard certification up to $395. Before signing up, check that you can attend all dates of the class and that it meets our lifeguard requirements below. Also check the refund policy, as refunds may not be possible, especially as you get close to the start of the class.

Roughing It will only accept lifeguard certificates that meet the following requirements: 

  • Should be through American Red Cross (ARC). If you plan to go with a different certifying body, please check with us first. We won’t accept certificates that don’t meet our lifeguarding requirements.
  • Should be a roughly 28-hour course, split over multiple days of training. Blended learning (BL) courses are acceptable, but check that the majority of training is in person. 
  • Must include CPR/AED and First Aid training as part of the course. You do not need to take a separate course for this.
  • Certified for deep water (5+ feet) lifeguarding. All ARC lifeguarding courses should include this, unless it specifically says shallow water only. Tests include: (a) 300-yard swim using front crawl or breaststroke, (b) 2-minute tread using legs only, (c) retrieve a 10-lb dive weight from 7ft deep, bring to the surface and swim 20 yds with the weight, using only their legs, (d) exit the pool without using a ladder within 100 seconds. If you are not able to pass the deep water tests and can only be certified for shallow water please let us know immediately.
  • If you are recertifying (ARC Lifeguarding Review course) your expiring certification must still be current at the time you take the course, or have been expired for no more than 30 days.

Signing up for the right ARC Lifeguard course:

There are different ARC courses that provide lifeguard certification. The most common courses are ARC Lifeguard, ARC Lifeguard-BL, and ARC Lifeguarding and Emergency Oxygen-BL. Any of these courses are acceptable; but please check the details and make sure they meet the requirements stated above. You may see a course called ARC Lifeguard Management; this is a 3-hour online course and is NOT acceptable. If you have any questions, please contact us and we will gladly help.

Find an ARC Lifeguard course near you: