Organization

To organize at camps, officials will proceed by conducting the above-mentioned examinations.  Should there be five or more successful competitors, crews can be organized as follows, the regular form of enrollment being employed and no enlistments required: 

Five men constitute a crew entitling one of the five to the rank of acting third lieutenant.

Ten men constitute two crews with acting second and third lieutenants.

Fifteen men constitute three crews with acting first, second, and third lieutenants.

Twenty men constitute four crews (or a division) with acting captain, first, second, and third lieutenants, lieutenant surgeon, quartermaster, boatswain, and one coxswain for each crew or three coxswains.

Auxiliary members over eighteen years of age may become active members after leaving camps and receive active membership commissions, provided they affiliate with some active permanent crew in their home district.

Auxiliary members holding our certificates shall be entitled to auxiliary membership buttons, but active members only are entitled to wear the official badge of membership of the corps.

Summer camps will be equipped, at the discretion of headquarters, on the following conditions: 

That they shall pay all express on supplies to and from camps.

That they shall report at the end of each season the exact condition of the supplies and make provision for the safekeeping of same for future seasons, or return same.

Medicine chests must be returned.

Instructors will be sent to the various camps, at the discretion of headquarters, whenever possible.  All expenses, traveling, board, etc., but not services, must be covered by the camps.

Examination questions will be found in our book, “Instruction on Subjects for Examination for Membership.”  If desired, camp officials can make examinations more rigid than outlined by us.

Examination papers furnished on request.

The above information was furnished by K. F. Mehrtens, Assistant Secretary, United States Volunteer Life Saving Corps, 63-65 Park Row, New York City.

Training Course

Efficient life saving comes from thorough experience and training, not from a theory.  These subjects for instruction may be taught preparatory to the summer camp, as well as during the camping season.

Swimming to include straight-away, swimming with clothes on, floating, diving, fetching:  strokes—­perfect breast stroke, side stroke, overhead stroke, crawl stroke.

Rescue Methods to include rescuing a supposedly drowning person.  Use of life saving apparatus.

Methods of Release to include grasping by the wrist, clutch around the neck and grasp around the body.

Resuscitation of the apparently drowned, including the Sylvester method described on page 194, and the simple “first aid” rules.