PIQUA — The Miami County YMCAs are looking to certify individuals as lifeguards who are interested in summer and fall employment.

“There are still facilities in need of new lifeguards this summer,” Robinson branch Aquatic Director Leia Lander said. “Normally we offer these courses in the spring, but being shut down delayed our ability to offer these courses. Our class this month enable participants to work within the first week of their summer employers opening.”

The course in July will run for two weeks beginning July 7. Classes will be held in the evenings from 4 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. Registration deadline for this course is June 30. The next course will run the first two weekends in August beginning July 31 through Aug. 2 and August 7 through 9. Times will vary by day of the week. Friday classes will be 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday classes will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday classes will be 2 to 6 p.m. Registration deadline for that class will be July 24.

“The week prior deadline is to give the students time to complete all the online work for the course that is required,” Piqua branch Aquatic Director Donna Shade said. “It’s a lot of online work about the basics of lifeguarding and preliminary introductions to the other three certifications. We find candidates do best with the week prior deadline for registration to get [all the online work] completed by the first day of class.”

Those interested in the course can register at either Miami County YMCA branch during normal business hours. Those with additional questions are asked to contact Leia Lander at 937-440-9622 or [email protected].

“We are doing extra sanitation for classes and asking participants to wear facial coverings for the classroom instruction portions of the course,” Lander said. “For safety reasons, we are not requiring participants to wear facial coverings in the water. We hope to get a few more lifeguards through classes this summer to keep staffing levels up at our own pools as well as those throughout the county area.”