The Lifeguard Project by Drasko Bogdanovic

May 31, 2025 | Ep.12 | Andrew Schmidt: A Deeper Understanding Of Drowning

Welcome to this episode of The Lifeguard Project Podcast, where today we interview Dr. Andrew Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt started as a junior lifeguard and progressed through the professional lifeguard ranks at Jacksonville Beach, Florida. He currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville.

He's a medical director of Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue, deputy Medical Director of University of Florida Health's Trauma one Flight program, and co-founder of Lifeguards Without Borders, a nonprofit dedicated to international drowning prevention. He's also a board member of the Surfers Medical Association and a lead instructor with Surfing Medicine International.

Dr. Schmidt has over a decade of experience on the front lines of emergency care and water safety. He has also authored key drowning treatment guidelines and helped shape national and international policy and trained lifeguards, medics and physicians around the world. From academic research to ocean rescue operation, he brings a spectrum of unique experience, making him a well-respected professional at the intersection of medicine, rescue, and public health.

In this episode, we explore the medical and physiological realities of drowning along with some of its core principles. We'll go into the crucial role that lifeguards and pre-hospital responders have, and how cohesive emergency care protocols can be the difference in these life-saving measures. We'll also dig deep into the importance of education, prevention, and public policy.

We'll take you through the process and specific treatment considerations of drowning from the rescue phase with lifeguards on the beach to the back of the ambulance, into the emergency room, and all the way to the ICU. So stay tuned and enjoy the conversation. And thanks as always for supporting the Lifeguard project.

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Andrew Schmidt

02:38 Dr. Schmidt's Lifeguard Journey

04:38 Balancing Medicine and Lifeguarding

06:52 Impact of Baywatch on Lifeguarding

12:08 The Critical Role of Lifeguards in Drowning Prevention

21:45 Challenges in Drowning Data Collection

34:33 Hypoxia in Drowning

36:39 Reversing Hypoxia

38:25 Challenges in Drowning Protocols

56:11 The Role of Surfers in Rescue Operations

01:07:17 Challenges of Public Access Buoy Programs

01:08:29 Training and Real-Life Rescue Simulations