American Red Cross Lifeguard Tests A
3. A man is unexpectedly pushed from behind and falls from the deck into the water and is in distress.
After you activate the emergency action plan (EAP), what are included in your next steps. ans: d. Extend
a rescue tube to him while remaining
on deck, then provide any additional care.
5. For a head, neck or spinal injury in deep water: ans: a. Minimize movement of the victim's head and
neck using the head splint technique.
7. While scanning the pool, you witness a patron
struggling while swimming and then go under
water. Which of the following applies? ans: a. You have duty to act and perform the
appropriate rescue.
13. A head, neck or spinal injury rarely happens: ans: a. In deep water at a supervised facility.
17. Two lifeguards are on surveillance duty during a public swim. You are on a break. One lifeguard
activates the facility's EAP for a submerged passive victim and enters the water. Which steps should you
take next to assist in the rescue? ans: b. Bring the backboard to the lifeguard and assist
in removing the victim from the water as the
other lifeguard clears the pool.
A 12-year-old boy at a swim meet grabs his chest
and begins to make wheezing noises. After you
obtain consent to provide care, his mother informs
you that he has a history of asthma, but does not
have his inhaler nearby. What care should
you provide? ans: b. Summon more advanced medical personnel
and place the victim into a position that
A lifeguard can no longer see some of the patrons at one side of the swimming area from his station
because of glare from the afternoon sun. To maintain effective patron surveillance, the lifeguard should:
ans: a. Adjust his position slightly to remove the glare
spot from his surveillance area.
A lifeguard keeps an eye on the patrons of the pool, checking the bottom, middle and surface of the
water. He is demonstrating: ans: b. Effective scanning.
A mother and her son walk over to you; she states that he fell on the pool deck and hit his head. You
notice he has blood and fluid running from his ear and he is feeling dizzy. What steps should you take
next? ans: d. Provide manual stabilization while the other
lifeguards prepare to backboard him.
A patron dives into the shallow end of the lap pool. You suspect she has a head, neck or spinal injury
because she has: ans: c. Blood in the ears and nose.
, A patron starts running on the deck. You blow your whistle to get her attention. Next, you enforce the
rules and regulations by: ans: c. Telling her she could slip or fall and she must
walk on the deck.
A person has been injured and is conscious.
You should: ans: b. Obtain consent, check the victim for
life-threatening conditions and speak with
the victim to find out what happened.
A technique to minimize movement for a victim
with a suspected head, neck or spinal injury who is face-down, at the surface and in water less than 3
feet deep is the: ans: b. Head splint technique.
A way to remember the questions to ask when
taking a brief history is to use the acronym
SAMPLE. What does the A in SAMPLE stand for? ans: c. Allergies
A woman collides with another swimmer while
diving into the pool and asks the lifeguard for
help. Without doing an assessment, the lifeguard tells the woman she can continue swimming. The
woman leaves the facility and seeks medical attention from a hospital after she begins to feel tingling
sensations in her arms and legs. The lifeguard may be: ans: c. Negligent.
After removing a conscious victim you suspect has a spinal injury from the water, you should do all the
following except: ans: c. Dry the victim off and apply the pads of
an AED.
An AED has advised that a shock should be given.
Which of the following is appropriate? ans: d. Tell everyone to stand clear of the victim.
An injured patron is conscious and bleeding
severely. After summoning EMS personnel,
obtaining consent and putting on disposable
gloves, what is your next care step? ans: d. Press firmly against the wound with a sterile
dressing and bandage.
As the first lifeguard on the scene, you are
performing CPR on an adult. When performing
chest compressions, how deeply should you
compress the chest? ans: d. At least 2 inches
CPR should be performed on which of the
following victims? ans: c. One who is in cardiac arrest
During a swim meet, the bleachers behind your
guard station suddenly collapse. As you check
the scene, you notice several people who appear
3. A man is unexpectedly pushed from behind and falls from the deck into the water and is in distress.
After you activate the emergency action plan (EAP), what are included in your next steps. ans: d. Extend
a rescue tube to him while remaining
on deck, then provide any additional care.
5. For a head, neck or spinal injury in deep water: ans: a. Minimize movement of the victim's head and
neck using the head splint technique.
7. While scanning the pool, you witness a patron
struggling while swimming and then go under
water. Which of the following applies? ans: a. You have duty to act and perform the
appropriate rescue.
13. A head, neck or spinal injury rarely happens: ans: a. In deep water at a supervised facility.
17. Two lifeguards are on surveillance duty during a public swim. You are on a break. One lifeguard
activates the facility's EAP for a submerged passive victim and enters the water. Which steps should you
take next to assist in the rescue? ans: b. Bring the backboard to the lifeguard and assist
in removing the victim from the water as the
other lifeguard clears the pool.
A 12-year-old boy at a swim meet grabs his chest
and begins to make wheezing noises. After you
obtain consent to provide care, his mother informs
you that he has a history of asthma, but does not
have his inhaler nearby. What care should
you provide? ans: b. Summon more advanced medical personnel
and place the victim into a position that
A lifeguard can no longer see some of the patrons at one side of the swimming area from his station
because of glare from the afternoon sun. To maintain effective patron surveillance, the lifeguard should:
ans: a. Adjust his position slightly to remove the glare
spot from his surveillance area.
A lifeguard keeps an eye on the patrons of the pool, checking the bottom, middle and surface of the
water. He is demonstrating: ans: b. Effective scanning.
A mother and her son walk over to you; she states that he fell on the pool deck and hit his head. You
notice he has blood and fluid running from his ear and he is feeling dizzy. What steps should you take
next? ans: d. Provide manual stabilization while the other
lifeguards prepare to backboard him.
A patron dives into the shallow end of the lap pool. You suspect she has a head, neck or spinal injury
because she has: ans: c. Blood in the ears and nose.
, A patron starts running on the deck. You blow your whistle to get her attention. Next, you enforce the
rules and regulations by: ans: c. Telling her she could slip or fall and she must
walk on the deck.
A person has been injured and is conscious.
You should: ans: b. Obtain consent, check the victim for
life-threatening conditions and speak with
the victim to find out what happened.
A technique to minimize movement for a victim
with a suspected head, neck or spinal injury who is face-down, at the surface and in water less than 3
feet deep is the: ans: b. Head splint technique.
A way to remember the questions to ask when
taking a brief history is to use the acronym
SAMPLE. What does the A in SAMPLE stand for? ans: c. Allergies
A woman collides with another swimmer while
diving into the pool and asks the lifeguard for
help. Without doing an assessment, the lifeguard tells the woman she can continue swimming. The
woman leaves the facility and seeks medical attention from a hospital after she begins to feel tingling
sensations in her arms and legs. The lifeguard may be: ans: c. Negligent.
After removing a conscious victim you suspect has a spinal injury from the water, you should do all the
following except: ans: c. Dry the victim off and apply the pads of
an AED.
An AED has advised that a shock should be given.
Which of the following is appropriate? ans: d. Tell everyone to stand clear of the victim.
An injured patron is conscious and bleeding
severely. After summoning EMS personnel,
obtaining consent and putting on disposable
gloves, what is your next care step? ans: d. Press firmly against the wound with a sterile
dressing and bandage.
As the first lifeguard on the scene, you are
performing CPR on an adult. When performing
chest compressions, how deeply should you
compress the chest? ans: d. At least 2 inches
CPR should be performed on which of the
following victims? ans: c. One who is in cardiac arrest
During a swim meet, the bleachers behind your
guard station suddenly collapse. As you check
the scene, you notice several people who appear
