By Taz Hartwick

We are the Lifesaving Society

Mission:

To prevent drowning and water-related incidents for all Canadians by providing:

Lifesaving, lifeguarding and leadership education Public education.”

The Lifesaving Society has a long and proud history of teaching lifesaving to Canadians.

The LSS can be traced back to the late 19th century in London, England where we began as The Swimmer’s Life Saving Society. In 1894, Arthur Lewis Cochrane brought to Canada the lifesaving skills he learned in his homeland, and he passed them along to students at Upper Canada College in Toronto, Ontario.

In June 1896, eighteen of his students were the first recipients of our distinguished Bronze Medallion award, the first award created by the Society. Under the patronage of King Edward VII in 1904, we became The Royal Life Saving Society. 

In the 1950s, the LSS was the first Canadian organization to adopt mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing as the method of choice over manual methods of artificial respiration. The LSS started its first CPR training program in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the LSS initiated a project to design an economical CPR training manikin now known as ACTAR 911. 

The History of the LSS!

What are the major activities the LSS is involved in?

Major Activities

The Major activities of the LSS are: Public education (through the awards of the Canadian Lifesaving

Program, and through Water Smart activities and events)

Leadership training

Research

Public consulting and representation

Role of Instructors

WE are LSS, LSS is US!

As a Lifesaving society instructor you have a role and responsibility towards the Lifesaving Society.

i. People will view you as community experts in lifesaving education.

ii. Parents, candidates and employers expect to receive knowledgeable guidance from you,

iii. That means you need to have a good grasp of the award programs, their purpose and for whom they are designed for.

Activity time!

Pull out your books !

How many course can we teach? Write them down in order.

Activity time!

Pull out your books !

How many course can we teach? Write them down in order.

Activity time!

Now that we know what course we can teach, what are the differences?

What are the progressions?

Self-rescue skills Resuscitation skills Fitness items Rescues First-aid

Awards chart

Lets look at the big picture.

Where does this fit in and where does this lead to?

Time to test your knowledge!

Crossword time!