Relationship between the Performance in a Maximum Effort Test for Lifeguards and the Time Spent in a Water Rescue

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Physiology

Background:

• Lifeguard effectiveness is crucial for water safety.
• Assessing lifeguard physical capacity is essential for optimal performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the relationship between lifeguard performance in a specific maximum incremental pool test (IPTL) and their effectiveness in a 200m beach water rescue.
• To determine if IPTL performance can predict water rescue capabilities.

Main Methods:

• 20 professional lifeguards completed an IPTL in a pool and a 200m beach water rescue.
• Physiological data including heart rate, blood lactate, and time were recorded for both tests.
• Estimated maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was determined during the IPTL.

Main Results:

• The time achieved in the IPTL (Time_IPTL) was the best predictor of 200m beach rescue time (Time_Rescue), explaining 59% of the variance (R² = 0.59, p < 0.01).
• A significant correlation was found between estimated VO2max from the IPTL and beach rescue performance (R² = 0.37, p = 0.05).
• Average Time_IPTL was 726 ± 72 s, and average Time_Rescue was 222 ± 14 s.

Conclusions:

• The IPTL is a valuable tool for estimating lifeguard effectiveness in 200m beach water rescues.
• IPTL performance, particularly time to exhaustion, can serve as a reliable indicator of a lifeguard's rescue capability.