Essay On Lifeguard

Language and literacy in a discourse community are useful in keeping the community running smoothly and help accomplish its goals. While the literacy in many different communities has been researched and talked about, the lifeguard community, on the other hand, is not highly researched. Much is known about the physical aspects of lifeguarding and the skills that are required, but little is talked or known about the literacy in the community. Many different factors such as acronyms and devices used when communicating between lifeguards and the various literacy tools during lifeguard training are key points in discussing the importance of literacy. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of literacy techniques that are incorporated in …show more content…
Most people may not understand them, but they are important phrases that lifeguards use to communicate with each other. Communication within common occupations is a highly researched subject and talked about throughout the academic community, but lifeguarding is not a highly discussed topic in the aspect of literacy. It is substantially known that lifeguarding is a crucial occupation and the lives of everyone who are in a pool, lake, or ocean are highly dependent on the actions of lifeguards. One miscommunication can lead to severe injury or even death of a victim. For lifeguards to effectively do their jobs, they must have gone through intensive training, use communication between co-employees and employers, and be able to understand different signals and acronyms that are usually used amongst lifeguards. Howes and Hill even state in their article that, “the ability to communicate with people and other lifeguards is of primary and vital importance to the person delegated the responsibility of the safety of bathers. Without communications, very little can be done to control people or to prevent accidents in, on or around the water”