Open Water Lifeguards
‘They’re getting sick:’ Lifeguards afraid to go to work due to red tide illnesses | CBS12.com
LAKE WORTH, Fla. (CBS12) — A lifeguard union boss is demanding Palm Beach County close the beaches for the public’s safety and the safety of the lifeguards who go to work every day. Beachgoers have the option to leave if red tide conditions are too bad for them. But lifeguards say for them the decision isn’t so easy. Rick Poulette is their voice. He’s president of Communication Workers of America, a labor union for lifeguards.“They feel like the county is not interested in their safety,” he said. READ MORE…
Source: http://cbs12.com
Woman Run Over By Ft. Lauderdale Lifeguard Takes City To Court « CBS Miami
FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – After numerous delays, a civil trial is underway in Ft. Lauderdale pitting a beach visitor against the city. Jury selection got underway Monday for a trial in which a North Carolina school teacher, who was run over by a Ft. Lauderdale Ocean Rescue lifeguard, is seeking damages from the city. During a trip to the beach in April 2012, Rinda Mizelle, 49, was lying in the sand next to a lifeguard tower when a member of the beach patrol on an SUV ran over her. Police said that Sherry Samuel, the driver of the ocean rescue vehicle had just finished speaking to a lifeguard at the rescue stand when she got on her vehicle, made a right turn, and drove directly over Mizelle. She was pulled from underneath the passenger side of the vehicle and taken to Broward Health Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries. Police reported that she suffered lacerations on her arms and legs, but was treated and released a short time after. An attorney for Mizelle said she suffered orthopedic and neurological injuries, as well as significant burns on her arms. Read more...
Source: https://miami.cbslocal.com
Lifeguard saves shark in Belmar – www.nj1015.com
Tyler Daniskas had a gratifying summer job. The recent graduate of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School was working all summer as a lifeguard in Belmar before heading off to college. He had a number of saves during the season. The strangest one came on his final day on the job. It wasn’t human.
Video obtained by TAPinto.net
A baby shark had managed to beach itself. Several feel long, it writhed and struggled on the sand, attracting attention and a rather large crowd. Not one to practice, well, speciesism I suppose, Tyler grabbed his surfboard, threw the shark onto it and returned it to the ocean. Someone in the crowd recorded the final moments of the shark being freed. Look how calmly Tyler releases this shark and waits to see that it gets on its way okay. He doesn’t even seem to worry about it making a sudden turn and taking a gash out of the leg of the man who saved him. Excellent job! READ MORE…
Source: http://nj1015.com
Rutgers Researchers Working With Lifeguards On Rescue Drone « CBS New York
BELMAR, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — New life-saving technology could be coming to a beach near you. Lifeguards on the Jersey Shore are testing the waters on the use of rescue drones, CBS2’s Meg Baker reported Thursday.
High above Belmar’s beach soars a new tool. The high-tech device is an additional option during an emergency, providing flotation and communication. “That could potentially buy lifeguards additional time, but it in no way removes the lifeguard from life-saving equation,” lifeguard Eric Kerecman said. Belmar partnered with Rutgers University to test and tweak how the drone-assisted rescue operation would work. “We found the drone can get out to a person about one minute faster than, say, if a lifeguard is having to battle a heavy surf,” said Hugh Roarty, the project manager at Rutgers’ Center for Ocean Observing Leadership. READ MORE…
Source: https://newyork.cbslocal.com
Unique surf contest in San Clemente brings team format for lifeguards, junior guards – Orange County Register
Surfing is typically an individual sport — but a new contest in San Clemente brought a fun twist with a team format to the waves.The event, held on the north side of the pier on Sunday, Aug. 26, brought 32 lifeguards and junior lifeguards together to compete in teams of four. The older, more experienced guards, acted as team captains and pulled names out of a hat to determine their teammates. “We wanted something to integrate the lifeguards and junior lifeguards together,” said San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Rod Mellott. “We thought ‘a surf contest kind of matches that.’”It seemed the concept was a popular one — all the slots were filled within 36 minutes of registration opening up, with a waiting list of 40 junior guards in just an hour.
Auxdron Lifeguard Drone rescues swimmers from Spanish beach – sUAS News
As part of the Lifeguard team and now ever present on the beach in the port of Sagunto, Spain, the Auxdron Lifeguard Drone was ready and waiting as one of the Lifeguards sounded the alarm that there were people caught in an undertow and looked like they needed help. This event happened on Wednesday the 15th of August on a beach known to have strong undertows under certain conditions. The Lifeguard team are well aware of the danger and are trained for these specific situations. One of the most important parts of such a rescue is the response time to the victims. Adrian Plazas and Enrique Fernandez were two Lifeguards who knew this more than most. Together they started a company to design and build a Drone that was capable of saving lives. Three years later their vision was realised when the drone, they developed, saved the life of a woman caught in an undertow that could have cost her life. READ MORE…
Source: https://www.suasnews.com
Female lifeguards at Jones Beach proud to be part of a legacy – http://longisland.news12.com
WANTAGH -The female lifeguards at Jones Beach State Park say they’re proud of their legacy 50 years after the first woman got a job there. The first female lifeguard who qualified to work at Jones Beach arrived in 1968. Before that, lifeguarding was considered a man’s job. Tammy McLoughlin is the current second-in-command at Jones Beach. She says she started lifeguarding in her 20s. Now she’s 51 and has four children. And she’s part of an elite group of women who pass the rigorous Ocean Life Guard Test each year before serving at the Jones Beach Central Mall Lifeguard Stand. “For the women that paved the way for us, they had to endure things that made our jobs nowadays a lot easier,” McLoughlin says. “So I have a tremendous amount of respect for those women.”Carol Lynch, 61, began lifeguarding at Jones Beach with her daughter in 2002. Her two sons are also lifeguards. She says she’s thankful for the daring women of the 1960s who came before her.”We are very thankful to those women stepping up and taking the test and saying, ‘We can do this. We can do a man’s job,'” she says.
Source: http://longisland.news12.com
Lifeguard saves 20-month-old at Sandbar Beach in South Glens Falls | Local | poststar.com
A Sandbar Beach lifeguard was recognized Tuesday night for rescuing a 20-month-old boy at the beach in July in South Glens Falls. Post-Star file photo
SOUTH GLENS FALLS — A toddler nearly drowned at Sandbar Beach last month, but was rescued just in time by a lifeguard. The incident happened July 21, just after 3 p.m. A boy, 20 months old, was playing in the water with his mother.Lifeguard Sabrina Quintois, 19, had suggested that the boy wear a life jacket or puddle jumper. But his mother said he could swim — an unlikely feat at his age. Sure enough, as Quintois scanned the water for any signs of distress, she saw him slip under and not come back up. She blew her whistle and dove in. On the other side of the beach, another lifeguard saw the same thing and also ran for the water. Before he could get there, Quintois had reached the boy and lifted him out of the water. His mother was standing nearby but hadn’t realized the danger. “The child was not coughing or breathing,” said Supervisor Todd Kusnierz, reading from the report Quintois wrote. She administered three back blows in an attempt to restore breathing, since his heart was still beating. READ MORE….
Source: Lifeguard saves 20-month-old at Sandbar Beach in South Glens Falls | Local | poststar.com
Miami Beach, FL lifeguard stands are on the auction block | Miami Herald
BY HOWARD COHEN hcohen@miamiherald.com —- August 14, 2018 05:00 PM —-Updated August 15, 2018 11:18 AM —-How would you like arguably the biggest doghouse on the block — maybe in the whole country?How about bragging rights to having a most original tree house, backyard tiki bar or a work of art to adorn your pool?Cue a game show announcer’s voice as you read the following sentence: “These can be yours if the price is right!” What “these” are are seven old Miami Beach lifeguard towers that have run the course of their useful life on the sands of South Beach and North Beach. They’ve already been replaced. READ MORE….
Source: Miami Beach, FL lifeguard stands are on the auction block | Miami Herald
Lifeguards Lauded for Lifesaving Effort at Leo Carrillo | malibutimes.com
Robert Ginoti (left) and P.J. Brewer, LA county lifeguards Photo by Chase Kelly
Two young off-duty Malibu area lifeguards are being hailed as heroes for helping to save a man’s life last week. Tim Harvey with Mugu Lifeguards—and who runs the Leo Carrillo Junior Life Guards program—told The Malibu Times a 76-year-old cyclist who suffered an apparent heart attack while biking along Pacific Coast Highway was fortunate to have the two young men and two other bystanders spot him in distress. P.J. Brewer and Robert Ginoti were off duty, but driving together July 25 to their lifeguard jobs with the California State Parks Department at Leo Carrillo Beach. The two young guards saw the cyclist fall over and quickly got to work performing CPR along with a bystander, Kim Rosenberg. Before the fire department EMTs arrived, the three were able to get the senior’s pulse back. Twenty-two-year-old P.J. Brewer, who started as a junior lifeguard and worked his way onto the force, said they just happened to come across the scene moments before arriving at the state beach. READ MORE….
Source: Lifeguards Lauded for Lifesaving Effort at Leo Carrillo | News | malibutimes.com
Virginia Beach hosts 2018 USLA National Lifeguard Championships | 13newsnow.com
Virginia Beach hosts 2018 USLA National Lifeguard ChampionshipsWith the blow of a whistle on Thursday, three days of the professional lifeguard competitions kicked off.
Author: Megan ShinnPublished: 11:29 AM EDT August 9, 2018Updated: 12:27 PM EDT August 9, 2018 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) —
This year, the US Lifesaving Association’s, National Lifeguard Championships are at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.Wednesday was the junior lifeguard competition, but with the blow of a whistle on Thursday, three days of the professional lifeguard competitions kicked off.More than 500 lifeguards from across around the globe faced off in the competitive lifesaving events, ranging from swimming to using boats or boards. They are going head-to-head, with hopes of qualifying for the world championships in Australia. READ MORE
Source: Virginia Beach hosts 2018 USLA National Lifeguard Championships | 13newsnow.com
Watch how these robotic lifeguards will help save lives in Myrtle Beach this summer | Myrtle Beach Sun News
BY MICHAELA BROYLES mbroyles@thesunnews.com
March 20, 2018 12:06 PMUpdated March 20, 2018 04:00 PMIn about a month, the Myrtle Beach Fire Department will have four “robotic lifeguards” to use this summer, which will help prevent people from drowning in the ocean.”Primarily it’s for us to get something out to a potential drowning victim that can help them stay afloat until we can get out there with a swimmer or jet ski,” said Lt. Jonathan Evans with MBFD.The robot is called EMILY, which stands for Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard. They are remote-controlled devices designed to race through heavy surf to get to swimmers in distress very quickly. Read more…
Popular Jersey Shore beach town guts lifeguard leadership | NJ.com
By Alex Napoliello anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com,NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
One of New Jersey’s most popular beach towns is dumping the people who manage their lifeguards and upping how much the borough pays lifeguards. The beachfront borough of Belmar, which receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer, passed a resolution initiating a search for new lifeguard leadership. “This is a big deal for Belmar,” Mayor Matthew Doherty said. Doherty said it was brought to his attention that too often lifeguard stands were left unattended when there were people swimming during the summer.” To me, that’s a case of not managing the lifeguard resources properly,” he said. The current managers of the department could not be reached for comment. Read more…
Source: NJ.com
Del Mar announces new chief lifeguard to replace ousted administrator – Del Mar Times
Del Mar city officials announced Friday, Jan. 26, that 25-year employee Jon Edelbrock has been promoted to the position of community services director and chief lifeguard, a job formerly held by Pat Vergne, whose firing in August continues to roil the small community.Edelbrock, who will lead 87 employees in the department’s lifeguard, parking and facilities divisions, said he plans to set aside the controversy and focus on the job.“We’ve been working through this and dealing with it for the past eight months,” Edelbrock said. “The best thing I can do is make sure my staff has what they need to do their job.”Edelbrock, 44, was hired as a seasonal lifeguard for the city in 1992 and rose through the ranks, becoming a lifeguard lieutenant in 2010.“I love my job,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for any other job in the world.”Vergne, a 35-year employee of the city, was fired in August after a months-long investigation allegedly uncovered nearly $200,000 in misused funds, falsified payroll records and the improper personal use of a city credit card. Two other employees in his department also were dismissed.The investigation and subsequent dismissal of Vergne triggered a community uproar.He is strongly supported by many longtime residents who say Vergne only followed policies established over the years and that he did nothing wrong. He’s filed a claim against the city for wrongful termination seeking millions of dollars in damages.Meanwhile, a Sheriff’s Department official has confirmed an investigation of criminal allegations against Vergne, though no charges have been filed. Read more…
Source: Del Mar announces new chief lifeguard to replace ousted administrator – Del Mar Times
Watch: What it Takes to be a Lifeguard in Hawaii | Teton Gravity Research
Being a lifeguard in Hawaii comes with a certain amount of prestige. As part of a lifesaving network entrusted with keeping some of the world’s most beautiful–and volatile–shores safe, lifeguards in Hawaii perform thousands of saves every year, putting their own lives at risk for the welfare of others.And while it’s a hero’s gig, unfortunately, Hawaiian lifeguards aren’t given the a hero’s treatment in their day-to-day lives. In fact, the controversial reversal of Senate Bill 462 last year made Hawaiian lifeguards legally liable for any ocean-related hazards. In other words, if a rescued swimmer feels they weren’t rescued properly, the individual lifeguards on shore could theoretically be at fault.
Source: Watch: What it Takes to be a Lifeguard in Hawaii | Teton Gravity Research