The Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service (NSLS) was formed in 1973 due to startling drowning trends at provincial parks in Nova Scotia, Canada. Originally only a handful of beaches, the NSLS now supervises over 20 sites. Since its inception there has not been a drowning during supervised hours at an NSLS beach. Additionally the NSLS boasts 18.1 million people supervised, 4,132 document rescues, 1,497 community service projects and 1,167 different employees (NSLS Annual Report, 2014).
Since early 2000s the NSLS has been using a weighted screening system for hiring. This system was constructed by the NSLS staff and used lifeguarding experts from across Canada to refine the process. Using the screening information, the NSLS tries to identify the best lifeguards for each waterfront or surf location. The screening is done in person and scores are determined for the following: application, interview, a written test, a 500m swim, a 50m in water carry and a 3.2km run. The physical scores are competitive amongst staff while the remaining areas are scored independently for each applicant. Each applicant receives an overall score and is then sorted by geography for hiring.
All the NSLS lifeguards are subject to performance appraisals at mid-season and the end of the season. These appraisals include both physical and technical lifeguarding skills and are meant to help the lifeguards improve by identifying areas from improvement. Additionally, the end of season evaluation includes a recommendation about future employment.
Our study has combined ten years of hiring data and appraisal information for lifeguards. We looked at the relationship between the hiring data and performance appraisals to see if the screening system is working. Then looked deeper to see what other characteristics were present in the top performers and how lifeguards changed from year to year.