This Award is meant for Boy Scouts.
Decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your younger scouts or not.

The BSA Lifeguard patch is worn on the right side of your BSA swimsuit, not on your scout uniform. Download the Application Form

PREREQUISITES:
Before doing requirements 6 through 25, complete the following:

1. Submit proof of age. You must be at least 15 years old to participate.
2. Submit written evidence of fitness for swimming activities (signed health history).
3. Swim continuously for 550 yards, including at least 100 yards each of the following strokes in good form: front crawl, breaststroke, elementary backstroke, and sidestroke.
4. Immediately following the above swim, tread water for two minutes.
5. Starting in the water, swim 20 yards using a front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7 to 10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, surface, swim with the object 20 yards back to the starting point, and exit the water, all within 1 minute, 40 seconds.

REQUIREMENTS:
Complete the following requirements within a 120-day period:

6. Demonstrate reaching assists from the deck using an arm, a rescue tube, and a pole.
7. Demonstrate throwing assists using a throw bag and a ring buoy with line attached. Throw each device such that the line lands within reach of a conscious subject 30 feet from shore.
8. Demonstrate:
   1. Rescue of a conscious subject in deep water using a rescue board, kayak, rowboat, canoe, or other rescue craft that would be available at your local facility.
   2. Repeat for an unconscious subject.
9. Demonstrate an entry and front approach with a rescue tube to a conscious subject in deep water 30 feet away from shore. Extend the rescue tube within the grasp of the subject and then tow the subject back to the entry point, providing direction and reassurance throughout.
10. Demonstrate an entry and rear approach with a rescue tube to a conscious subject in deep water 30 feet away from shore. Grasp the victim from behind using a scoop technique under the arms to support the subject against a rescue tube squeezed between the victim’s back and the rescuer’s chest. Reassure the subject and tow the subject to shore.
11. Demonstrate use of a rescue tube to assist two subjects grasping each other.
12. Demonstrate both front and rear head-hold escapes from a subject’s grasp.
13. Demonstrate a feet-first entry in deep water with a rescue tube and swim an approach stroke 25 yards within 25 seconds while trailing the tube.
14. Demonstrate an entry and front approach with a rescue tube to a face-down unconscious subject at or near the surface in deep water. Use a wrist tow to place the subject face-up on the rescue tube and use a one-arm tow to the closest point of safety.
15. Demonstrate an entry and rear approach with a rescue tube to a face-down unconscious subject at or near the surface in deep water. Use a scoop technique to position the rescue tube between the subject and the rescuer’s chest, then either lean back or rotate to bring the subject face-up. Tow the subject to the nearest point of safety using either a two-arm tow or switching to a one-arm tow.
16. Demonstrate an entry and approach with a rescue tube to an unconscious subject submerged face-down at or near the bottom in 6 to 8 feet of water. Bring the subject to the surface and tow to the nearest point of safety.
17. Remove a subject from the water using each of the following techniques in the appropriate circumstances with the aid of a second rescuer:
    1. Vertical lift at the edge of a pool or pier using a backboard
    2. Walking assist
    3. Beach drag
18. Participate in multiple-rescuer search techniques appropriate for a missing subject in murky water:
    1. Line search in shallow water
    2. Underwater line search in deep water without equipment
    3. Underwater line search in deep water with mask and fins
19. Demonstrate head-splint (extended arm rollover) in-line stabilization for a face-down subject with suspected spinal injury in very shallow water (18 inches or less).
20. Demonstrate head-splint in-line stabilization for a suspected spinal injury in shallow water (waist to chest deep):
    1. For a face-up subject
    2. For a face-down subject
21. Demonstrate head and chin support in-line stabilization for a suspected spinal injury in shallow water (waist to chest deep):
    1. For a face-up subject
    2. For a face-down subject
22. Demonstrate in-line stabilization for a suspected spinal injury in deep water, swim the subject to shallow water, confirm vital signs, and, with the assistance of three others, remove the subject from the water using a backboard with straps and a head immobilization device.
23. Correctly answer 80 percent of the questions on the BSA Lifeguard written test covering Safe Swim Defense, aquatics procedures at BSA camps, guard duties, emergency action plans, surveillance, and water rescue. Review any incomplete or incorrect answers.
24. Show evidence of current training in American Red Cross First Aid (valid for three years) and American Red Cross CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer (valid for one year) or equivalent (includes any training for a camp health officer recognized by BSA national camp standards).
25. Serve as a lifeguard, under supervision, for at least two separate BSA swimming activities for a combined time of two hours. Afterward, discuss the experience with the lifeguarding instructor.