FAMILY THAT SWIMS TOGETHER; STEPHENS SIBLINGS TRYING TO PARLAY BACKGROUND IN AQUATICS INTO CAREERS.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

Some day 22-year-old Sean Stephens will become a member of the Los Angeles County swift-water rescue team.

Rachel Stephens, 20, will become a marine biologist.

Brandon Stephens, 17, will become an LAPD officer.

And the three siblings will say their futures started in grandpa's pool.

It was at Albert Norris' Northridge home where the Stephens learned how to swim right around the time they learned how to walk. Since their aquatic debut, all three have become City Section finalists for the Cleveland High swim team and are now serving as Los Angeles city lifeguards throughout the San Fernando Valley.

Sean is serving his sixth season at Reseda Pool, Rachel is a second-year lifeguard at Fernangeles in Sun Valley and Brandon - who just met the minimum age requirement - started at Granada Hills in June.

Lifeguarding is more than just a summer job for the Reseda residents.

Sean sees the work as a start toward his eventual goal of joining the swift-water rescue section of the county fire department.

For Rachel, a marine biology and business accounting double major at Pierce College, it's a step toward becoming scuba certified and working at Sea World. (She plans to transfer to San Diego State.)

Brandon plans to move onto beach lifeguarding by next summer and use his background in city employment as a bridge to joining the LAPD.

Even with different views of their future, the trio agree on one element about the present: Serving as city lifeguards is a great opportunity to work with children. Aside from being trained to perform rescues, lifeguards also maintain the pool and teach swimming lessons or coach swim teams. Often they work with children ages 7 to 16.

``At first (the draw) was the idea of being able to work at a pool, work on my tan,'' Sean said, sitting in his grandfather's den recently on an overcast afternoon. ``Later I found that I enjoyed working with the kids.''

Rachel agreed.

``With my baby brother no longer a baby, becoming someone else's big sister is nice,'' she said.

Norris said seeing his three oldest grandchildren - he and wife, Faith, have 13 in all - take an active part in their community is a gratifying result of what started out as a safety project. While on a lake fishing trip at age 10, Norris discovered a drowned body, a sight that stayed with him for years.

``After that I thought, `Better learn how to swim,' '' he said. ``When I came to this house, opened the back door and saw the pool, I said, `We'll take it.' ''

A resident of West Los Angeles before the move to Northridge in 1972, Norris lured his four teen-aged daughters to the Valley with the promise of a house with a swimming pool - ``every child's dream,'' said daughter Debra Stephens.

What followed was a tradition that began with Sean, continued with Rachel, Brandon, then extended into what became ``cousins week,'' when the grandchildren converged at the Norris household once a year so the older ones could teach the younger children how to swim.

This month, nearly 1-year-old Miranda, the newest addition to the family, will visit the Norrises from her Colorado home. And one thing is for sure, agreed the Stephens.

``She'll know how to swim by the time she leaves,'' Rachel said with a confident nod. ``You have to know how to swim if you're going to come and visit grandpa.''

For information on how to become a city lifeguard, call the Valley Region Aquatics at [phone]. Four lifeguard tests are conducted each year. The next is scheduled in August.

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PHOTO Sean, 22, left, Rachel, 20, and Brandon Stephens, 17, credit their grandfather's pool for spawning their swimming - and future - careers. Sean hopes to join a swift-water rescue team. Rachel wants to be a marine biologist. Brandon wants to join the LAPD.

Phil McCarten/Daily News