
Junior Lifeguard Program
Open to children (ages 9 through 17), the mission of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Junior Lifeguard Program is to educate ocean and beach safety, physical conditioning, basic first aid, and environmental awareness while developing the next generation of lifeguards and future leaders.
THE 2022 JUNIOR LIFEGUARD PROGRAM DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED!
Session 1: Wednesday, June 15 – Tuesday, July 12
Session 2: Wednesday, July 13 – Tuesday, August 9
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A JUNIOR LIFEGUARD?
CONTACT THE JUNIOR LIFEGUARD OFFICE AT (310) 939-7214 OR EMAIL US!
Frequently Asked Questions
(click the question to expand the answer)
Summer 2022 Dates are
- Session 1: Wednesday, June 15 – Tuesday, July 12
- Session 2: Wednesday, July 13 – Tuesday, August 9
- Participants can choose between two four-week sessions (S1 or S2) with a morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) class time
- Morning (AM) class is from 8:30-11:30am
- Afternoon (PM) class is from 1:30pm-4:30pm
- Participants can choose between two four-week sessions (S1 or S2) with a morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) class time
Some locations will vary and may not offer classes in the afternoon, or Session 2.
- Avalon, Catalina
- Cabrillo Beach
- Torrance Beach
- Redondo Beach at Avenue A
- Tim Kelly (TK) at 2nd Street, Hermosa Beach
- Hermosa 14th at Hermosa Pier
- Manhattan at Marine Street
- El Segundo at the Jetty
- Venice at Venice Blvd. North
- Santa Monica at Tower 26
- Will Rogers at Temescal Canyon
- Zuma Beach
- RETURNING JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS
- A Returning Junior Lifeguard has successfully completed the 2021 program.
- PROSPECTIVE JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS
- New Junior Lifeguards who have not participated before
- Required to swim the 100 yards freestyle in under the the LACoFD JG Program required time for their age group at one of our LACoFD JG designated swim tests
NEW JUNIOR LIFEGURD APPLICATION:
- All youth in LA County ages 9-17 are eligible to apply.
- Required to swim the 100 yards freestyle in under the required time for their age group at one of our LACoFD JG designated swim tests
THE 2022 PROGRAM IS CLOSED TO NEW APPLICANTS
New Junior Lifeguards must attend a LACoFD Junior Lifeguard Tryout and pass a 100-yard swim test under*:
- 1:50 for ages 9-11 as of 7/1/22 – “C” Age Group
- 1:40 for ages 12-13 as of 7/1/22 – “B” Age Group
- 1:30 for ages 14-17 as of 7/1/22 – “A” Age Group
*Swim times are determined by the age group a child will be participating in during the program, NOT the current age of the applicant. For example, if an applicant is 11 years old on the date of the tryout, but will turn 12 on or before July 1st, they are considered a “B”, not a “C”, and must pass the required “B” swim time.
NOTE: This information is provided to Junior Lifeguards who successfully completed the 2021 Summer Program. Parents can expect Returning JG registration to be between February and March of any given year.
All eligible returning Junior Lifeguards (JGs) will have the opportunity to reserve their EXACT SAME ENROLLMENT as selected from last year, 2021 through the online Returning Junior Lifeguard Registration Form. Information will be emailed to the JG’s primary email account in early spring 2022.
Returning Junior Lifeguard is NOT first come, first serve. Parents will have the entire window to use this system to accept, modify, or decline a student’s enrollment.
Returning JGs who do NOT want to return to their previous enrollment may decline their Priority Registration enrollment.
Any Returning JG who declines their priority enrollment will have the option to modify an aspect of enrollment (session/location/class time) using Modified Registration. If you decline your priority enrollment, you are forfeiting your Priority Enrollment spot.
Modified Registration will take place once JGs who chose Priority Registration are enrolled. This will take place in order of the Returning JG’s Randomly Generated Selection Number (RGS#). This number is assigned to all returning JGs and used only for those opting to modify their enrollment.
Beach availability cannot be guaranteed.
The 2022 Registration dates for Returning Junior Lifeguards are February 1 – February 28. Information will be emailed to the primary email account.
The following are the 2022 age groups:
- “C” (age 9-11 as of July 1, 2022)
- “B” (age 12-13 as of July 1, 2022)
- “A” (age 14-17 as of July 1, 2022)
There is NO WAITLIST for Priority Registration. Priority Registration is designed for those wishing to remain in the same beach location, class, and session as chosen last year in 2021. Any JG who chooses to remain in their enrollment from 2021, but would like to waitlist somewhere else as well may wait until AFTER registration closes; waitlists can be confirmed via e-mail on a first come, first serve basis.
The 2022 Swim Test Dates:
- Swim Test #1 – Saturday, March 12, 2022 from 10am to 4pm @ The George Mannon Aquatic Center in Torrance
- Swim Test #2 – Sunday, March 20, 2022 from 8am to 12pm @ The Santa Monica Swim Center
- Swim Test #3 – Sunday, March 27, 2022 from 8am to 12pm @ The Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center located on the campus of Palisades High School
- Swim Test #4 – Saturday, April 2, 2022 from 8am to 2pm @ Mira Costa High School Pool in Manhattan Beach
- Swim Test #5 – Sunday, April 10, 2022 from 8am to 12pm @ Brenda Villa Aquatic Center located in Commerce
Swim Test signups are now closed.
There are no additional swim tests for this year.
Note: Enrollment for New JGs who successfully complete the Swim Test component will not begin until all Swim Tests are completed. This is NOT a first come, first serve process.
All applicants will be assigned a randomly generated selection number (RGS#) once all swim tests have been completed and enrollment will occur in this order.
Any Junior Lifeguard who successfully completed the 2021 Junior Lifeguard Program will be accepted into the 2022 program.
If your child participated in Junior Lifeguards in 2019 or prior, you will need to apply online for the program and pass the swim test.
For the pool swim tryout: a lightweight, racing-style swimsuit (a.k.a. “Speedos” or jammers because baggy suits make for slow times), a cap (to keep the hair out of their eyes), goggles (test day is not the day to try a new pair), and a towel.
For a day at Junior Lifeguards: a uniform (provided), two (2) face coverings, towel, sunscreen, hat, water, and a healthy snack.
- Meet instructor at drop-off location
- Take roll
- Warm-up
- Water event (buoy swim)*
- Take places/de-brief event
- Snack/re-hydrate/re-apply sunscreen
- Ocean/lifeguard-related discussion
- Skills training
- Game (time permitting)
- Pack up/upcoming event reminder
- Release at pick-up location
*Junior Lifeguards are expected to complete a buoy swim every day. This requires them to swim head-down freestyle continuously in and out of the surf with lifeguard supervision.
Our absence policy states that participants are able to miss up to five (5) days of the program without needing to re-test at one of our pool swim tests the following year.
If a participant misses ten (10) or more days, they will automatically be required to re-test the following year.
If a participant misses between six (6) and nine (9) days of the program, it is at the Junior Lifeguard instructor’s discretion as to whether the participant successfully completed the program requirements.
Due to the impacted nature of the Junior Lifeguard Program and the class size limits for safety purposes, make-ups for absences at a different beach, time, or session are NOT permitted.
After the first day of the program, individual beach instructors handle attendance. All absences must be excused with a note to your child’s instructor.
If the absence is known in advance, please send a parent/guardian note with your child prior to the absence. Otherwise, provide the note upon your child’s return to the program. Please do NOT e-mail absence notes to the office.
If a health screening indicates symptoms consistent with COVID 19, or if your child tests positive for COVID-19. the Junior Lifeguard Program will refer to its decision pathways to determine safest next steps, and if removal from the program is necessary.
If a child must be removed from the program due to COVID-19 related absences, a waiver for the following year will be granted. This includes a known or suspected exposure, or a positive COVID-19 test result.
If your child needs to arrive late to the program, please send a note with them to excuse the late arrival. Keep in mind that some beach locations set up their group a distance away from the drop-off location. It may be a good idea to park and walk with your child to ensure they arrive safely to their instructor.
If your child needs to leave early, please send a note with them that includes specific instructions for their pick-up (i.e., exact pick-up time and location). It may be a good idea to park and walk down to your child’s group to ensure they leave safely.
Please note that arriving late or leaving early DOES NOT count as an absence.
If space permits Junior Lifeguards will be allowed to sign up for an additional session
Estimated operating cost for the Junior Lifeguard Program is $718 per child, the final fee schedule for the LACoFD Junior Lifeguard Program is currently under review by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Included in the fee is a uniform t-shirt and swimsuit, either a navy-blue Speedo one-piece or a pair of navy blue custom-designed board shorts.
Financial aid applications will be sent out with the payment information email or available upon request.
2022 financial aid scholarships will be available for those who apply and qualify.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is committed to offering quality programs to the youth throughout Los Angeles County. The purpose of the financial aid program is to encourage the participation of young people with limited access or opportunity by assisting qualified applicants with program tuition fees.
Along with your financial aid application, you must include a copy of the following:
- Federal tax return (2021)
- Or proof of public assistance
Your application will not be processed without these components. All information will remain strictly confidential. There is no guarantee of approval or funding amount for individual or family applications. Financial aid is based on availability of funds and applies to one summer only.
You may not apply for financial aid after you have registered and paid the full tuition fee; there are no retroactive refunds.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTACH PAYMENT as your payment amount will be determined after review.
The 2022 Transportation Application is TBA following confirmed enrollment.
If a Junior Lifeguard is unable to participate in the program (e.g., medical reason, personal conflict, inability to complete swims, etc.), a partial refund may be available. All refund requests must be submitted in writing to the Junior Lifeguard office or via e-mail to Fire-JrLGRefunds@fire.lacounty.gov.
Our 2022 refund policy is as follows:
All refund requests must be submitted in writing to the Junior Lifeguard Office or via email to FIRE-JRLGREFUNDS@FIRE.LACOUNTY.GOV
Refund deadlines are as follows:
FIRST SESSION
- Partial refund request submitted by JUNE 15, 2022
- Uniform not picked up: Tuition refund minus $5 processing fee
- Uniform picked up: Tuition refund minus $60 processing fee
- Partial refund request submitted between JUNE 15, 2022 and JUNE 21, 2022: $60 processing fee, minus 20% of program fee
SECOND SESSION
- Partial refund request submitted by JULY 13, 2022
- Uniform not picked up: Tuition refund minus $5 processing fee
- Uniform picked up: Tuition refund minus $60 processing fee.
- Partial refund request submitted between JULY 13, 2022 and JULY 19, 2022: $60 processing fee, minus 20% of program fee
- Students who become ill due to a Covid-19 exposure during program hours and must miss days are eligible to receive a prorated refund based on days missed.
The Tax ID Number of the Junior Lifeguard Program is 95-6000927. If you need a Tax ID recipient, please e-mail the office after your child has completed the summer program.
Cadets are Junior Lifeguards that are being groomed to become Lifeguards. They operate under the supervision of a Junior Lifeguard instructor. Cadets will be challenged to learn basic lifeguard skills, ocean conditions, rescue techniques, and CPR. Cadets are also expected to lead younger Junior Lifeguards in practical and physical skills.
Cadet applicant must be 16 or 17 years old (as of July 1, 2022) and must have completed at least two years in the Junior Lifeguard program; one year of which as an “A”.
The 2022 Cadet Program is TBD. Please check back in March for potential dates and application process. Make sure to complete your Returning JG Registration form during the month of February to be eligible to apply.
The Los Angeles County Junior Lifeguard Surf Racing Team (SRT) is designed to meet the ever-growing demand for more competition experience throughout the summer season.
Full-time coaches create event-specific training with the goal of improving surf racing skills for each member of the SRT.
Unique experiences outside of life-saving events may include outrigger canoe and distance paddleboards.
Eligible applicants are RETURNING Junior Lifeguards who are 15-17 years old (as of July 1, 2022) and who have successfully completed one summer as an “A”.
The 2022 SRT is TBD. Please check back in March for potential dates and application process.