Andrea Zaferes and Lifeguard Systems

Andrea Zaferes - 

 Andrea began teaching diving with Dr. Lee Somers and Karl Huggins at the University of Michigan’s Scientific Diving Program. She served as a Diving Safety Officer for the American Museum of Natural History’s Animal Behavior Research Department, and had three research papers published by the age of 22. She took her first diving rescue course at age 16 with Walt Butch Hendrick. Since that time she has become Vice President of Lifeguard Systems Inc. and RIPTIDE Inc, a course director and instructor trainer, a well published author, a noted public speaker, an award winner, a program designer, and is one of the leading trainers in the international water rescue and recovery industries today.

Andrea teaches over hundreds of police, fire, EMS, military, and USCG personnel annually throughout the U.S., Canada, Asia, and Caribbean.

Andrea, Vice President of Lifeguard Systems and RIPTIDE, a NAUI & ACUC course director, and a PADI, DAN, and Red Cross Instructor, teaches approximately 1000 surface rescue and dive personnel annually. She co-authored with Walt Hendrick such videos and books as Surface Ice Rescue,

Scuba Instructor Readiness Series, Field Neurological Evaluations, Public Safety Dive Operations, Blackwater Contingency, and Homicidal Drowning Investigator, was the managing editor of SORTIE Magazine, she manages the www.wateroperation.com discussion group, and has over 100 published articles. She is a noted public speaker, is an award winner, and is a NYS EMT. Her main mission is to keep you alive and well.

Andrea’s credentials include:

• Expert Legal Witness for diving and other water-related incidents
• Homicidal Drowning Investigation, assists law enforcement and private citizens with homicidal drowning investigations
• Numerous Media Interviews

See her bio here: http://teamlgs.com/about/bio-andrea-zaferes/

Lifeguards Systems is the culmination of a life’s work and the dedication to creating a safer world in the realms of Water Rescue and Public Safety Diving.

Lifeguard Systems in the 21st century has taken large leaps in many different areas. Public Safety divers and surface water rescue personnel can now take any of 25 different programs that are of the highest standard world-wide. Fire Engineering/Pennwell Publishing published Surface Ice Rescue, Public Safety Diving, and Ice Diving Operations. TeamLGS founded RIPTIDE, a nonprofit organization, devoted to homicidal drowning investigation and research, recovery operations, and public safety diver and water rescue technician accident prevention.

Besides the training of Headquarter instructors, LGS started teaching ten day Phase 1 Public Safety Diver Instructor Training Courses to certify those that were not able to do the long HQ internship programs. This ITC is the highest standards public safety diver instructor training course in the industry.

Our Instructors are certified dive instructors, members of dive teams, EMT’s, law enforcement and fire instructors, authors and public speakers. The 1996-7 Our World Underwater Scholar, Craig Nelson, worked with us full time for two years to help us write more books and teach more programs. Brian Nylander (IN), Bryan Duffer (MD), Ken Balfrey (NJ), David McCoy (NY), Orlando Abreus (FL), Joe Steyer (NY), Jeff Warrick (IN), David Holland (Toronto), and Dr. Cliff Turen (MD) joined the HQ teaching staff team.

In any given year Lifeguard Systems:

* teach over 1,500 students comprising over 300 different public safety agencies* publish over 20 articles* speak at public safety and dive shows* serve as expert legal witnesses for diving related problems* assist with underwater recovery operations by phone and on actual sites.* assist with Homicidal Drowning Investigations with our nonprofit organization RIPTIDE* test and help design water rescue and recovery equipment* manage the wateroperations on-line discussion group* produce the RIPTIDE water operation E-zine* write letters to help water operation teams convince decision makers to get them the standards, training and equipment they need* are always ready to answer questions by phone about any water related topic – and if we don’t know the answer, we help you find someone that will.

We have produced:

* six educational videos, one of which is ten hours long with a 700 page workbook.* several books including, Scuba Instructor Readiness Series, Oxygen & the Scuba Diver, Field Neurological Guide & Workbook, Surface Ice Rescue, Public Safety Diving, Ice diving operations, and an extensive Public Safety Diving SOP.* over 25 different rescue, recovery, and leadership level training programs

www.teamlgs.com