NATIONAL CERTIFICATE of WATER SAFETY & RESCUE
Biarritz Sauvetage Côtier

The holder of the French National Water Safety and Rescue Certificate (BNSSA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of baths equipped and regulated and, in some cases, that of swimming establishments with paid access.

Information meeting on Friday 24 September 2021 at 19:00 at the Maison des Associations (2 Rue Darrichon)

For more information, don’t hesitate to contact Maryse and René Dubes at bnssa@biarritzsauvetagecotier.com

The BNSSA is available to anyone with a PSE 1 diploma and who is at least 17 years oldThe diploma is then issued when the candidate is 18 years old or emancipated.

For further information, please contact the trainer: René DUBES at bnssa@biarritzsauvetagecotier.com

Rescue course (100m) to be completed in less than 2 minutes and 40 seconds 

  • Departure from the edge of the basin or a starting point, followed by 25 metres of free surface swimming;
  • 2 courses of 25 meters, each comprising 15 meters in complete immersion on a defined path (materialized on the bottom and on the edges), without the candidate taking support;
  • a duck dive, followed by the search for a dummy that rests between 1.80 meters and 3.70 meters deep;
  • the candidate raises the manikin to the surface, then the trailer for 25 metres, face out of the water.

Rescue course (250m) to be completed in less than 4 minutes and 20 seconds:

  • on the signal of the start of the test, the candidate is equipped in or out of the water;
  • the candidate travels 200 metres in fins, masks and snorkel, touching the wall at each turn. At the end of the swimming course, he must make an immersion to look for a mannequin located 5 meters maximum from the edge of the pool. It rests on a depth between 1.80 and 3.70 metres at most.
  • the candidate pulls the manikin up into the five-metre zone. The candidate tows the manikin over the remainder of the distance. The contact at the end of the basin is mandatory during the turn (25 meters basin) and at the finish;

Assistance to people in difficulty (to be done in shorts and tee shirt)

It involves rescuing a person in an aquatic environment who includes:

  • the rescue of a person who simulates a distress situation at least 15 metres away and not more than 25 metres from the edge;
  • the victim seizes the rescuer from the front; after clearing the situation, the rescuer transports the victim to the edge safely; during the journey the rescuer reassures the victim;
  • the rescuer removes the victim from the water without using ladders or any other equipment;
  • After securing the victim, the candidate performs a vital function check and then briefly explains the procedure.

  Quiz sur les domaines suivants :

  • first aid;
  • legal and regulatory aspects related to water safety and rescue;
  • texts on the organisation and safety of bathing places;
  • signalling of an emergency post;
  • signalling of aids and materialisation of bathing areas;
  • lighting;
  • regulations respecting the operation of boats and the practice of water and underwater sports in the coastal zone;
  • organisation of relief operations;
  • physical arrangements for the organisation and activation of emergency stations;
  • implementation of warning means;
  • knowledge and dissemination of meteorological information;
  • observations of the surveillance field, dissemination of incidents, alert procedures of the emergency post;
  • knowledge of the organisation of public relief structures, which must be maintained in the event of an accident;
  • precautionary measures;
  • emergency first aid;
  • public emergency alert;
  • implementation of additional relief measures.

Duration: 8 hours of regulation + 30 to 90 hours of swimming

The holder of the B.N.S.S.A. who wishes to extend the validity of his diploma is subject, every five years, to a maintenance check.

€290 if aquatic formation only

Discounts of 30€, 80€ or 160€ in the case of an order including successively the diplomas PSE1, PSE 2 and SSAL.

In order to reserve a place for the BNSSA, please complete and bring the attached file during the information meeting on Friday 24 September 2021 at 19:00 at the Maison des Associations de Biarritz (2 Rue Darrichon)

Pre-registration file BNSSA 2021

To enroll