Wouldn't we all love to sit around all day, taking in the sun's rays by the pool's edge?</p><p>For Los Banos' cadre of 15 lifeguards, sitting around by the pool is serious business.</p><p>"A lot of people stereotype lifeguards as people who just want to sunbathe, but it's very serious," said lifeguard Jane DeMoss. "Peoples' lives are in our hands."</p><p>That's the attitude Los Banos Unified School District's aquatic director Mike Bonillas wants his lifeguards to have, especially since he's learning along with his employees. Bonillas is in his first summer in the position, which he started in May. Bonillas, a 2000 graduate of Los Banos high, spent time as an assistant basketball coach for Modesto Junior College, and will head Pacheco High's boys basketball program.</p><p>His approach to his lifeguards isn't much different from his approach to coaching basketball.</p><p>"Your lifeguards have to be a team. Some of the stuff you have to do together, and there's some four-person drills," Bonillas said. "You have to communicate, and it's just being part of a whole different team. They have to be responsible and ready to save a life any time. As crazy as that sounds, you have to be ready. It kind of makes you mature a little bit, maybe a little responsibility that some kids need."</p><p>Bonillas accepted about half of the applicants for what he considers to be the best summer job in Los Banos. He wanted to make sure they weren't just proficient in the basics of CPR and water rescue, but to be role models for the kids who frequent the pool during the summer.</p><p>"We want to the create that essence that if I'm a lifeguard, I can go do something else," Bonillas said. "Even as silly as that sounds, these kids over here come every day. We're going to see them when they're older, and I might coach them later on. Giving back to the community is a big deal."</p><p>Take Los Banos High sophomore Adrian Coronel, for example.</p><p>"Since I was a kid, my mom took me here," said Coronel, who made the varsity swim team his freshman year. "I saw the lifeguards, and I wanted to be like them."</p><p>Some of them may be young, but the job is not for the faint of heart. Eric Gutierrez said it took him a while to get used the the possibility of seeing blood on the job. He had his reasons for pushing through the training though.</p><p>"The best part? Being out here at the pool," he said. "And professional rescuer is a cool title."</p><p>Now, Gutierrez is one of three lifeguards planning on going into the Air Force, and said he wants to be an Air Force Pararescueman.</p><p>"It's like extreme lifeguarding," he said.</p><p>He has the basics to get started. In fact, Bonillas said with the three certifications he requires for his lifeguards (lifeguard professional rescuer card, Title 22 certification, and professional CPR and first aid, totaling about 50 hours of training), they are only a few classes away from EMT status.</p><p>"Everybody's professional rescuer certified. We all have our cards certified by the Red Cross," Bonillas said. "This is a great opportunity for the kids. You can take that with you to college. It's good for three years -- wherever you go, you're a professional rescuer."</p><p>And sure, that's a cool title to have, as Gutierrez said, but the job will give each lifeguard a variety of experiences to draw upon.</p><p>"We've dealt with car problems, vehicles breaking down in front," said five-year veteran Alysha Izoco. "The worst situation I had was a husband and wife that turned physical, so it's so much more than just watching a pool."</p><p>The best skill a lifeguard can bring to the job is the ability to be proactive. Most situations can be avoided by heading them off before they start.</p><p>"It's mostly just keeping a watchful eye," Gutierrez said. "You've just got to be on it."</p><p>Added Coronel, "When a lot of people are here, there's a lot of people messing around. You've got to pay attention to your peripherals."</p><p>There's administrative work for Bonillas as well. He's the one who, with the backing of the district and School Superintendent Steve Tietjan, balances practice time for both schools' water polo teams, the Tigersharks, the Hydrocats, as well as swim lessons and community swim time. He said that's where it comes in handy to not have been a swimmer in school, because he has no allegiance to any particular team or club.</p><p>"I think coming in as an outsider to all the programs was more beneficial as a whole, because I want to be fair and create more opportunities as a whole instead of for a certain group," Bonillas said. "I don't have an agenda."</p><p>Signups for the lifeguard program begin every year in late March or early April, and all lifeguard certifications are required before then.</p><p>Enterprise reporter David Witte can be reached by phone at 826-3831 ext. 565 or by e-mail at sports@losbanosenterprise.com