Understanding Aquatics Pt 1: A Glossary
April 9, 2026
Just taken over as the recreation director of a community with a swimming pool but have no background in aquatics? Have a teenager who loves the water and is interested in aquatics as a summer job but don't know where to start? In this new series of articles we provide the basics on understanding the aquatics sector. First up, a glossary of the new vocabulary, especially the acronyms and slang, you need to learn to understand pool talk.
AFO - Aquatic Facility Operator; a certification offered my multiple agencies that teaches candidates the skills and theory needed to run a commercial (municipal or private enterprise) swimming pool that is designed to be used by more than the occupants of a single family dwelling. Most commonly refers to the Aquatic Facility Operator course offered by the National Recreation & Park Association (a US professional organization).
BC - Bronze Cross; a Lifesaving Society program designated as the Assistant Lifeguard certification in the Society's suite of programs.
BM - Bronze Medallion; a Lifesaving Society program that is a pre-requisite to Bronze Cross training and often the first exposure individuals have to lifesaving & lifeguarding concepts.
BS - Bronze Star; a Lifesaving Society program that is designed for those not yet old enough, skilled enough, or strong enough to attempt the Bronze Medallion certification. Depending on context, it may also refer to the other thing you were thinking when you saw this entry.
Bronze Medals - A reference to the Lifesaving Society's Bronze Medals programs (Bronze Star, Bronze Medallion, and Bronze Cross). Sometimes referred to as the Bronze Family, or shortened simply to Bronze. See also BC, BM, & BS.
CPO - Certified Pool Operator; a certification offered by multiple agencies that teaches candidates the skills and theory needed to run a commercial (municipal or private enterprise) swimming pool that is designed to be used by more than the occupants of a single family dwelling. Most commonly refers to the Certified Pool & Spa Operator course offered by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (a US non-profit trade organization).
CRC - Canadian Red Cross; a Canadian registered charity and one of the four national non-profit agencies that offers first aid training courses in Canada.
CSP - Canadian Ski Patrol; a Canadian registered charity and one of the four national non-profit agencies that offers first aid training courses in Canada.
EFA - Emergency First Aid; a reference to one of the two main certifications required under Workplace Safety and Health for workers. In most of Canada the official legal terminology for the certification is now Basic First Aid or Workplace Basic First Aid. Despite this legal change, EFA remains a common acronym because it has been in use for over 30 years as a reference to required training.
FA - First Aid; often used in reference to an incident (FA was provided), equipment (the FA kit), or to refer to a certification required by staff. See also EFA & SFA.
JLC - Junior Lifeguard Club; a Lifesaving Society program designed to provide a swim club type experience where youth practice swimming, lifesaving and lifeguarding skills and progress at their own pace.
Lifesaving Society - a Canadian registered charity with a branch covering each province and territory. Each Branch is a separately incorporated charitable entity. The main provider of swimming and lifesaving training courses for pools across Canada and one of the four national non-profit agencies that offers first aid training courses across the country. The Society's National Lifeguard certification is the only lifeguarding certification recognized in every province and territory.
LS - Lifesaving Society; sometimes also referenced as LSS, or as LS-Province (such as LS-MB, LS-ON, etc.)
National Lifeguard; the Lifesaving Society's lifeguard training program. It is available in four options that relate to different aquatic environments; pool, waterfront, waterpark and surf.
NL - National Lifeguard; sometimes also referenced as NLS (after an older name for the program) or simply Nationals.
SFA - Standard First Aid; a reference to the main first aid certification required of lifeguards in Canada, and also one of the two main certifications required under Workplace Safety and Health for workers. In most of Canada the official legal terminology for the certification is now Intermediate First Aid or Workplace Intermediate First Aid. Despite this legal change, SFA remains a common acronym because it has been in use for over 30 years as a reference to required training.
SFL - Swim for Life; the Lifesaving Society's learn to swim program. Components of the program include Parent & Tot, Preschool, Swimmer, Adult Swimmer, and Fitness Swimmer.
SJA - St. John Ambulance; a Canadian registered charity and one of the four national non-profit agencies that offers first aid training courses in Canada.
Swim Patrol - The Canadian Swim Patrol; a Lifesaving Society program that slots between the Swimmer section of the Swim for Life continuum and Bronze Star or Bronze Medallion. Designed for swimmers ages 9 - 12 who want to keep swimming and working on their skills but are not yet old enough to progress into Bronze training.
This is just the first and most common layer of abbreviations and terms that come up in aquatics. More will be discussed as we continue on with the series. As always have your say in the discussion and chime in on our social media channels or by dropping us an e-mail.
Christopher Love
President
Wavecrest Aquatics Inc.
