YMCA prepares for National Water Safety Month

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - May is National Water Safety Month, and the YMCA is no stranger to training people how to swim safely. The program also trains lifeguards as the shortage continues.

Vincent Riddle with the Y says if offers the YMCA safety around water program. "What the safety around water program is is the YMCA drowning prevention program designed to reduce risk of drowning by teaching basic water skills," says Riddle. Those two skills are Swim, float, swim, and jump, push, turn and grab. He says both of these are designed for unintended entries into the water to be able to get to a safe point of exit to remain safe there.

Another thing the YMCA is doing is running lifeguard courses throughout the region. ".We currently have 12 classes open throughout our association. Two of them are lifeguard skill prep classes designed just to help participants be successful with the prerequisites to the lifeguarding course, we have eight lifeguard courses or recertification classes to get participants up and running there," explains Riddle. He says for any participants that are looking to work on an open water location. there are two waterfront skill module classes as well.

Riddle says it's important to have respect for the water at an early age. "Learning how to swim is a lifelong skill that anyone can be involved with, whether it's an indoor facility, or even say at Woodlawn Beach, says Riddle. He notes learning how to swim in the appropriate bodies of water that they're going to be in does go a long way, especially in Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. "Knowing what to do if getting caught in a rip current of how to swim parallel to short get out of the rip current to be able to safely swim back to the shore without having to fight against the current," says Riddle.