Swimming pool Chief Lifeguard

In this chapter of my #WorkExperience and #Education, I tell you about my surf-lifeguard license attained at the Italian Swimming Federation and my job position as a Chief Lifeguard from summer 2011 to summer 2018.

Table of contents

1. Italian Swimming Federation;

2. Swimming pool Chief Lifeguard;

3. Facilities.

ITALIAN SWIMMING FEDERATION

Italian Swimming Federation rescue department logo.

I attained a professional license of surf-lifeguard in 2011 with the Italian Swimming Federation. Since then, I successfully pass the refresher exams every three years.

​Being a surf-lifeguard means knowing rescue maneuvers for emergencies set in open water and swimming pool situations.

The Italian Swimming Federation

The Italian Swimming Federation was founded in 1899 with the name of Rari Nantes Federation. It only became FIN (trans. Italian Swimming Federation) in 1928, when it joined CONI (trans. National Olympic Italian Committee).

FIN promotes, organizes, regulates and spreads swimming disciplines in Italy and abroad.

SWIMMING POOL CHIEF LIFEGUARD

The Italian surf lifeguard Alberto Carniel is leant against a wooden rescue station by the sea.

I started my lifeguard career in June 2011 and worked in the rescue sector for three years. In summer 2018, I wore again my lifeguard swimsuit and worked at sea for the biggest campsite in Europe: Union Lido.

After the first year as a simple lifeguard, my employer upgraded my position and I became a chief lifeguard. I performed this role in two swimming pools until 2016

What swimming pool chief lifeguard means

Being a swimming pool chief lifeguard means you are responsible for the lifeguard staff, swimmers (or, in other words, clients) and operational efficiency of the swimming pool.​

Skills acquired

This executive job position gave me the opportunity to learn how to lead a team and manage a swimming pool.

From an operational point of view, I learned how to perform daily swimming pool maintenance to keep it efficient and cleaned.

Alternatively, from an administrative point of view, I learned how to save the owner's money by managing smartly the personnel shifts.

FACILITIES

A surf lifeguard, Alberto Carniel, walks along the beach with the typical red tank top and lifebuoy.

Villa Ferri Beach

The first swimming pool where I worked was Villa Ferri Beach, a facility which could house up to 3000 people.

Villa Ferri Beach has three different swimming pools. The largest is semi-olympic, 25 meters long, while, the smallest is composed by three octagonal little swimming pools with different depths designed for kids.

There is another large swimming pool with a shallow depth to let customers sunbathe and refresh themselves at the same time.

Barchessa In Bloom

Barchessa In Bloom is a luxury villa which can house up to 4000 people. It has a beautiful landscape designed for weddings and events.

It has a swimming pool with two different depths, a big flowery park and a colonnade.

Barchessa In Bloom offers many services: a bar next to the swimming pool, a luxury restaurant, a Paintball field and a spectacular historical environment.

Union Lido

Union Lido is a 5 stars campsite founded in 1955 which usually serves more than 1,20M people per season.

It extends for about 1 km of private beach on the clean and safe waters of the striking littoral of Cavallino (Italy), a town next to the charming Venice.

Here, I worked alternately as a surf-lifeguard at sea and as a lifeguard in its huge water park.