Backyard Lifeguards & BYLG Sport

09/04/2026

Bobber the Water Safety Dog, Josh The Otter JCMF and Ranger Buck have teamed up to provide this important PSA for our children: “Always Wear a Life Jacket!”

One of our (nearly 5yo) junior guards in training grabbed this activity page site: Ballard (Hiram M. Chittenden) Locks while on vacation in Seattle.

You can find a whole selection of free printable pdf books, posters, coloring and activity sheets, and even a cartoon series at www.bobber.info. And that cute sea otter? He can be found at JoshtheOtter.org which is also another great resource! Just another way to engage, educate and inform young children on the importance of water safety.

09/04/2026

Inflatable pool toys are NOT life saving PFDs. You can still enjoy those air filled vinyl floaties in open water, but with the addition of coast guard approved life jackets.

Be sure to keep all your water safety layers of protection in check as we go into this big holiday weekend.

08/24/2026

Another successful triathlon! Yesterday team BYLG and a handful of volunteers kept over 423 participants safe in the water at the 6th annual 370 Lakeside Triathlon. The weather was perfect! Just a little chilly to start, but the water was oh so warm and inviting. And a beautiful sunrise to boot!

Huge shout out to all our volunteers! All you kayak and SUP aficionados, triathletes in training, and early risers were extremely helpful. We know that 6am call time is a bit rough. But having extra sets of eyes on the water is a huge help!

You might think this is our last big open water event for the year… But it’s not! We a little fundraising event called Swim Across America coming up next weekend. And in a few more weeks we have our final triathlon of the season at Lake Carlyle.

08/07/2026

Ever surf in the midwest? We had a little fun practicing our surf skills after our inservice last month. Who did the best waveless surf?

08/02/2026

100 minutes of continuous CPR.

That was our goal for this inservice meeting, and we made it! With the help of a couple dozen bystanders and 10 of St. Louis’s most elite open water lifeguards (and one in training) we were able to sustain 100 minutes of life saving compressions.

Most of our bystander volunteers have never tried CPR before. With this latest revision of (non-professional rescuer) CPR it’s even easier to help someone in need. That’s because you no longer need to worry about breaths. That’s right, no more mouth to mouth. You just have to call 911, lock in your position and keep the beat.

07/30/2026

This viral video of a rescue is bringing attention to the amazing strength, conditioning, tenacity, training, and skills of lifeguards. For many, this is a normal Saturday. "This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day."

The father of a 10-year-old boy pulled from pounding surf by a teenage lifeguard and others is beyond grateful his son survived the ordeal.

07/25/2026

Anyone can drown; no one should.

300,000 people drown worldwide every year. That’s an average of 30 per day. Children make up the majority of this stat. Stay vigilant and never turn your back on the water!

07/21/2026

Our latest inservice followed the 17th annual New Town Triathlon. Since we were already on the water with our gear it made a lot of sense.

We refined our skills on inflatable sups and paddle boards, and traditional foam paddleboards.

Getting familiar with our gear is importaint in maximizing our abilities and completing speedy rescues.

07/18/2026

Last weekend was the 17th annual New Town Triathlon. And of course we were there to lifeguard the lake! 79 youth competed on Saturday the 11th and 359 adults competed on Sunday the 12th. Every triathlete who entered the water made it out safely.

Swim courses were 200m for the older kids, 100m for the younger kids, 1000m for the adult race, and 500m for the adult sprint race.

The weather was a bit dicey Saturday morning. But the thunderstorms cleared out with plenty of time to set up. Conditions ended up being great both days. The water was just warm enough to not be wetsuit legal.

We want to thank Big Shark Bicycle Co for having us out again this summer. We had a great time guarding this lake at all 8 open water swims, the youth tri and the adult tri. Looking forward to the 2027 season!

07/06/2026

The covid-19 pandemic had an impact on childhood drownings in the US. Public pools closed. Swim lessons were put off for years. Staffing shortages took a while to rebound. More pools were constructed on private properties. And families shifted to more backyard pool time. Data shows drowning rates higher than in pre-pandemic years.

When do you think we will get back to those lower, pre-pandemic drowning rates?

Doctors and others are sounding an alarm: More U.S. children have been drowning in recent years. Child drowning deaths rose from about 750 in 2019 to more than 860 in 2024, the most recent year for which complete data is available.