During training, I was taught to protect myself first because if I'm disabled

[theking]

...I can't rescue the person that's drowning anyways:

New York college student suffers spinal injury while lifeguarding in California

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.
- A college student from New York suffered a spinal injury while working as a lifeguard on a California beach. The Huntington Beach Fire Outreach Foundation in California said in a post on its website that lifeguard Elizabeth Lovat sustained a spinal injury during work on July 3.