train and assess. many leisure centres have their own tas or tutors who operate in-house training for the lifeguards. tas and tutors also assess qualification renewals but rlss tas and sta tutors are unable to assess any lifeguard who works in the same place the ta or tutors hold training sessions. also they are unable to assess any lifeguard they have trained. highfield (habc) t/as are able to assess lifeguards from the same centre as long as they have had no involvement with the training. in 2012, there were no reported drownings in uk swimming pools where there was a lifeguard on duty. beach lifeguards lifeguard pick-up truck of the rnli the three alternative schemes for qualifying beach lifeguard in the uk are run by the royal life saving society uk, who offer the 'national vocational beach lifeguard qualification' (nvblq), surf life saving wales and surf life saving great britain (in association with the royal national lifeboat institution) who offer the 'national rescue standards beach lifeguard qualification' (nars bl). both organizations also offer a range of "specialist modules" that can be added to the basic qualification, such as vhf radio operator; rescue water craft rwc, rescue surf skills, rescue (paddle) board, rescue boat (crew), rescue boat (driver), aed and cpr oxygen administration. the rnli is the largest operator of lifeguard units in the uk, patrolling over 230 operational beaches around the coast of england and wales, helping around 7,000 people each year. rnli lifeguards at widemouth bay, cornwall. canoe lifeguards the british canoe union has canoe life guard units in the uk managed by the bcu lifeguards. these are special units that operate in kayaks and canoes in areas where motor boats would have problems. inland lifeguards inland water sites such as lakes, rivers and estuaries – typically where there is a specific need, such as sports competitions or public events. there are a few examples of organisations that provide such services; some operating on a voluntary basis such as colwick park lifeguards, relying heavily on the services of volunteers. there are also commercial entities that provide similar services, ranging from marina staff to workboat providers. typically in the uk voluntary groups of this type are either local to that particular stretch of water or provide a service across the country. as of recently, the royal life saving society has offered an open water lifeguard qualification which specialises in still, non-tidal waters. this acts as an entirely separate qualification or can be done as an additional module in national pool lifeguard qualifications (nplqs). northern ireland in northern ireland, the royal life saving society (rlss ireland) also provide training in lifesaving and courses in lifeguarding for both the national pool lifeguard qualification (nplq) and the national beach lifeguard qualification. united states lifeguard tower and truck in ocean beach, san diego, california in the united states there are several nationally recognized organizations that certify lifeguards. the american red cross lifeguarding program, jeff ellis and associates, the ymca, starfish aquatics institute's starguard program, nasco, and the boy scouts of america. the standard in open water surf training is the united states lifesaving association. the american red cross, usla and ellis and associates establish standards which are universally adopted for lifeguard training. the first beach patrol in the united states was founded in 1891 in atlantic city, new jersey. the atlantic city beach patrol is currently the oldest active beach patrol in the united states. in 2009, 117 drowned at the nation's beaches; 21 drowned where lifeguards were on duty. there were 82,969 rescues reported from 114 reporting agencies. consent in an active emergency, lifeguards are required to act, and to ask permission to give care in any situation. ill or injured people can grant their informed consent for care. someone who is unresponsive, confused or seriously injured or ill (such as in a nonfatal drowning) may not be able to grant consent. in these cases, the law assumes the victim would give consent if able. this is called implied consent, and also applies to an underage victim whose parent or guardian is not present. competition continuous training is necessary to maintain lifeguarding skills and knowledge. formal competitions have developed as a way to encourage training, and also as a social activity. in australia, the annual surf lifesaving competition at kurrawa beach on the gold coast is the largest athletic event in the world after the olympic games with tens of thousands of lifeguards competing. lifeguard competitions include both physical events and technical (medical) events. technical events are challenging accident simulations in which guards are evaluated on their adherence to treatment standards. these events are a subject of controversy amongst some lifeguards due to their subjectivity. purely physical competitions have recently become more popular, often including various combinations of running, swimming, paddle boarding, and surf skiing. most lifeguard competitions include an ironman event that combines three different physical activities. australian surf life saving championships, perth australia risser's beach, nova scotia bournemouth lifeguards corps regatta, uk nova scotia surf league british universities lifesaving clubs association league federacion aragonesa de salvamento y socorrismo