SUMMER2012-VOL.3,NO€¦ · Staff Photographers Jo Wagenhhals, Southeast Joel Gitelson, LA County,...

SUMMER 2012 - VOL. 3, NO. 3

ALM SUMMER 2012 (2 )

ALM EXECUT I VE TEAMUSLA Executive BoardPresident

B. Chris Brewster, San Diego, [email protected]

Vice-PresidentPeter Davis, Galveston, [email protected]

TreasurerRob Williams, Newport Beach, [email protected]

SecretaryNikki Bowie, Charleston, [email protected]

Executive DelegateCharlie [email protected]

LiaisonHarry 'Buzz' Mogck, Cape May [email protected]

AdvisorTim Gallagher, Avon-by-the-Sea, [email protected]

Medical AdvisorDr. Peter Wernicki, Vero Beach, [email protected]

Legal AdvisorJohn "Chip" More, Avon-by-the-Sea, [email protected]

American Lifeguard Magazine StaffPublisher/Editor

Mike Bartlett, Huntington Beach, [email protected]

Assistant EditorsCharlie Hartl, Avon-by-the-Sea, NJMichael A. Beuerlein,

Huntington Beach, CA

Staff WritersMike Bartlett, Huntington Beach, CAB. Chris Brewster, San Diego, CADr. Peter Hartsock,

US Public Health ServiceRick Gould, Santa Clarita, CAPhil Rogers, Cape May, NJPeter Davis, Galveston, TX

Junior Jam EditorJo Wagonhals, [email protected]

Membership LiaisonCharlotte Graham, Costa Mesa, [email protected]

Design/TypesettingJennifer Velasquez, Torrance, [email protected]

Staff PhotographersJo Wagenhhals, SoutheastJoel Gitelson, LA County, CAMike Bartlett, Huntington Beach, CABill Richardson, Huntington Beach, CA

USLA Regional PresidentsNew England

Bob Bertrand (rep. only)[email protected]

Mid-AtlanticEd [email protected]

South AtlanticTom [email protected]

SoutheastGerry [email protected]

Great LakesJoe [email protected]

Gulf CoastTony [email protected]

NorthwestCathy [email protected]

Southwest (CSLSA)Mike [email protected]

Pacific IslandsRalph [email protected]

Bylaws and PoliciesEd Zebrowski [email protected]

CertificationTony [email protected]

CompetitionEd [email protected]

Equipment ResearchVacant

Grant SolicitationPete [email protected]

Heroic Acts AwardsAdrienne [email protected]

InternationalBert [email protected]

Junior LifeguardsReenie [email protected]

MagazineMike [email protected]

MembershipCharlotte [email protected]

Public EducationDenise [email protected]

Public Information andMedia Relations

Tom [email protected]

Sign StandardsRalph [email protected]

StatisticsRick [email protected]

Ways & MeansRob [email protected]

WebsiteCharlie [email protected]

USLA Special Assignments



I N TH I S I SSUE

ALM Advertising InformationThe USLA manages the American Lifeguard Magazine™ and

publishes it tri-annual with mailing deadlines: Fall-December, Winter-Apriland Summer-August. The 36-page color publication, now archived on ourwebsite, is mailed directly to our 12,000 members comprised of oceanlifeguards, administrators, competitors, junior guards and alumni. Itshowcases the lifesaving profession and juniors by targeting a variety ofpublic safety topics including training and standards, competitions,certification and educational programs. Promote your products and servicesby delivering your message directly to the lifesaving professionals andmanagers who are responsible for purchasing products for their agencies andindividual needs. Below are the ALM ad rates:

Ad Size Only One Issue Three IssuesHalf Page $300 $810 ($270 each)Full Page $500 $1350 ($450 each)Inside Cover $600 $1620 ($540 each)Back Cover $750 $2025 ($675 each)

For all advertising, contact Michael S. Bartlett ALM Editor at(714) 345-5792, or [email protected].

Editor’s Note: If your photo is used on the cover of the ALM, the USLAwill send you a check for $100.00. Please send your photos on disk in thehighest possible resolution, preferably taken with a digital camera with 5mega pixels or higher to: USLA - American Lifeguard Magazine, 15481Cottonwood Circle, Huntington Beach, CA 92647.

Cover Shot: Tourist flock to Ocean City, Maryland, guarded bythe Ocean City Beach Patrol, June 8, 2012. Photo courtesy ofAlex Desy, Ocean City, Md.

I N TH I S I SSUE

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

LIFEGUARD PAY RAISE IS GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE . . . . . 6

SURFER MEETS LIFEGUARD WHO SAVED HER LIFE . . . . . . . . 6

NWS WORKING WITH LIFEGUARDS TO REDUCERIP CURRENT RISK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

THE ETHICS OF BEING A LIFEGUARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

RALPH GOTO IS HONORED AT THE INTERNATIONALSWIMMING HALL OF FAME – MAY 16, 2012 . . . . . . . . . . 13

LIGHTNING SAFETY GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . 14

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS TOP LIFEGUARD RETIRES . . . . . . 15

FLORIDA AGENCY USES CREATIVE METHODTO ENHANCE SAFETY IN TIGHT BUDGET . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

ORANGE BEACH INSTALLS ITS FIRST LIFEGUARDTOWERS ON PUBLIC BEACHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

FLORIDA'S LAUDED, LET-GO LIFEGUARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

USLA E-BLAST INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

LIFEGUARDS WITH BENEFITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

LIFESAVING FOR EVERYONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

BEACHGOERS OVERESTIMATE SWIMMING ABILITIES,UNDERESTIMATE RIP CURRENTS, EXPERTS SAY . . . . . . . . 31

THE SWIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

OFF-SEASON TRAINING GEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

United States Lifesaving Association Mission Statementwww.usla.org 866-FOR-USLA (367-8752)

We are America’s nonprofit, professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers. USLA works to reduce the incidenceof death and injury in the aquatic environment through public education, national lifeguard standards, training programs, promotion ofhigh levels of lifeguard readiness, and other means. All correspondence other than for the magazine should be sent to: USLA CorporateOffice, P.O. Box 366, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 or [email protected].

American Lifeguard Magazine™American Lifeguard Magazine™ is published and distributed to every paid member of the USLA as a provision of their

membership. If you wish to publish an article or submit a letter to the editor, address all submissions to: American Lifeguard Magazine™,15481 Cottonwood Circle, Huntington Beach, CA, 92647, or [email protected]. Entire contents protected by the USLA. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means - electronic,mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise - without the prior consent of ALM. Unsolicited materials, including all photographs, aresubmitted at the sender’s risk and ALM accepts no responsibility. The opinions expressed are strictly those of the contributors and do notnecessarily reflect the views of ALM or the USLA.


P RES IDENT ’ S MESSAGEB. Chris Brewster, San Diego, CA

Does it frustrate you when you read aboutbeaches where people are dying becausethere are no lifeguards on duty? It surefrustrates me and a lot of other USLAleaders. We know how effective lifeguardsare at preventing drowning deaths, so itdrives us nuts to see communities thatchoose not to staff lifeguards.

The legendary baseball player, RobertoClemente, who died flying reliefsupplies to earthquake victims in CentralAmerica said, "If you have a chance tohelp others and fail to do so, you are wast-ing your time on this earth." Indeed.

We in the USLA don’t stand by. We act.And your membership dues help fundthose actions.

USLA volunteers have spent thousandsof hours of their time and expertise toencourage or even jawbone civic leadersinto providing lifeguards when and wherethey are needed. Ocean Beach in San Francisco, BrevardCounty, Destin, and Pensacola in Florida, Chatham inMassachusetts, and Puerto Rico are just a few areas wherewe’ve sent volunteers, written extensive reports, and had favor-able outcomes.

How do we do it? Once a problem is identified, we contactlocal officials and advise them of how easily drowning can beprevented by properly trained lifeguards. Often they initiallyplead poverty, say they can’t afford guards, although these areusually tourist areas with lots of income from tourism, and it istypically the tourists who are drowning.

Then we write reports that detail the magnitude of the problemand propose solutions. We talk to the media. We offer trainingcourses. We keep at it. We don’t go away.

Back in 2005, Orange Beach, Alabama was found by one of ourLife Members, Jim “Mac” McCarthy, to have an outsizeddrowning problem, and no lifeguards. In his not so subtle way,Mac told the local folks what needed to be done, but changedidn’t come.

He handed the baton to Jim McCrady and Joe McManus.They liaised with Melvin Shephard, the Aquatics Coordinatorfor Orange Beach, who worked from the inside, urging changein an environment resistant to change. They enlisted volun-teers like Mitch McCrady, Ken Sullivan, Joe D'Agostino, andGary Wise. The Southeast Region made three trips there, puton two academies, and collaborated with Melvin to compose acomprehensive report, which was released to local officials andthe media.

They kept at it, certain that somehow,some way, the problem would be resolved.Not easily. Not quickly.

And then we got a call from Mike Foote,the father of a young man who died in adrowning in 2010. He was devastated. Hewas planning to go into business with hisson. There was so much promise, butanother life had been lost in OrangeBeach.

Mike talked to us a lot. He did not wanthis son’s life to be in vain. He did notwant another son or daughter to die in arip current in this community for lack of alifeguard. He sued.

It wasn’t your typical lawsuit. Mike wrote,“We are not interested in money for per-sonal gain. This is a mission to make achange that will ensure future public safe-ty.” And in fact he copied us on innumer-able emails to local officials saying that if

they provided USLA trained lifeguards on the beach, he woulddrop the lawsuit. His selflessness and commitment cannot beoverstated. He persevered despite great odds.

This drama seemed endless until June 3, 2012, when we saw anonline version of a newspaper article that started off, “OrangeBeach, Alabama -- To boost public safety, the city has installedits first two lifeguard towers on the public beaches just in timefor summer, according to Melvin Shepard, [now the] beachsafety director for the city.” Wow! The article went on todescribe that there had been two lifeguards working four hoursa day, but now there would be two towers, response vehicles,and a PWC at each tower.

Melvin Shepard was quoted as saying that the lifeguards wouldbe working 9:30 – 6:30 daily during the season, with six on dutynow and he was looking to hire more. We were told that hisbudget went from $16,000 to $120,000.

Now people who would have lost their lives in the rip currentsof Orange Beach will go home safe. They won’t even knowabout all this work that was done to protect them, but no mat-ter. We, all of us, will have done our part. You, the USLA mem-bers whose membership dues helped make this happen, theSoutheast Region reps who donated so much time, the fatherwhose priority was that no other father should face hisheartache and loss, and the local officials who came to do theright thing all played a part. Thank you!

Bob Burnside, our founding President, wrote me a message alittle while ago: “The real meaning in life is what you give.”

Lifeguards for Life.


Opinion of The Tribune

We agree that public agencies need to focus on saving moneyin these austere times, but some actions are so pennywise/pound foolish that they are downright indefensible.Closing state parks is one example that comes to mind.

We were glad to see, then, that the Pismo Beach CityCouncil had the good sense to follow city staff’s advice byboosting the salary for an indispensable group of employees:lifeguards.

The council unanimously voted to raise the entry level payfor lifeguards by $2 per hour. Starting July 2, seasonal life-guards will earn $13.20 per hour, rather than $11.19. Leadlifeguards will be paid $17.50 per hour.

The new salary schedule is more in line with what otherSouth County agencies offer ocean lifeguards. At OceanoDunes state park, starting pay is $14.91, and at Avila Beach,

which is under the jurisdiction of Port San Luis Harbor

District, lifeguards start at $13.07.

Pismo Beach had not reviewed its salary schedule for life-

guards since 2006, and interest in positions had been waning.

Generally, the city gets 15 to 18 applications. This year, the

city received only nine applications.

The pay raise will cost Pismo an additional $38,234 per year.

That’s still a bargain, especially for a city like Pismo Beach

that depends so heavily on tourism.

Without a crew of experienced, professional lifeguards, many

families would think twice about letting their children any-

where near Pismo’s surf. And who knows? They might even

decide to travel up the road to Avila Beach instead — quick-

ly wiping out any paltry savings that would have been realized

had Pismo decided to deny its lifeguards a decent rate of pay.

L I F EGUARD PAY RA I SE I S GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONEThe Tribune Editorial Staff, Pismo Beach, CA - reprinted with permission

Diana Gibson Went Into Cardiac Arrest During Junior SeauMemorial Paddle-Out

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A local surfer who nearly died at anOceanside beach earlier this month returned to thank thelifeguard who saved her life.

On May 6, Diana Gibson was taking part in a memorial pad-dle-out for late Chargers star Junior Seau when she went intocardiac arrest.

Oceanside Lifeguard Alaina Dickens aggressively beganCPR, and other lifeguards arrived and used an automatedexternal defibrillator (AED) to help Gibson re-establish aheartbeat.

By the time Gibson got to the hospital, she had a pulse.

"I've been trying to picture this face of this person who savedmy life and, you know, I just had all these different faces andnow I just don't want to ever forget this face," Gibson said ofDickens.

Gibson visited Dickens and the other lifeguards as she worea heart monitor. She held back tears as she met Dickens.

"The quickness and the just the teamwork and everything...just feel very, very grateful," said Gibson.

Gibson, who has been surfing for more than 25 years, said shedoesn't remember anything about the paddle-out and stillcan't bring herself to watch the footage of her rescue.

She is convinced that Dickens was her angel that day.

However, Dickens said she was just doing what she wastrained to do and agreed that training was key in keepingGibson alive.

"You have to do CPR before you can use an AED and it's justso lucky that we were able to spot her so fast and start thatCPR right away," Dickens said.

Gibson said she is convinced she got a second chancebecause there's something in life she still needs to do.

"I need to get CPR out there a lot more because that's whatsaved me," she said.

This week happens to be National EMS Week, andOceanside lifeguards say it's the perfect time to get to knowmore about lifesaving skills like CPR.

SURFER MEET S L I F EGUARD WHO SAVED HER L I F ECourtesy of 10News.com San Diego, CA - reprinted with permission


The USLA has arranged for deep discounts and special deals with leading companies that offer products of value to USLA members.

Visit the USLA Home page (at the bottom) or the USLA Store, at: www.usla.org/store

Example discounts available to you:

- 50% off Hobie polarized sunglasses (including special deals on prescription sunglasses)

- $30 off DaFin swim fins

- Special discounts on Ford automobiles.

As well, lifeguards, chapters, and regions can purchase clothing and other items with the USLA logo embroidered on them at Uniserv

GuardGear. And you can purchase rings with the USLA logo from Jostens.

The USLA is committed to helping lifeguards get the best equipment at the best prices. Don't forget to sign up for your membership

today through your chapter or at: www.usla.org

NWS WORK ING WITH L I F EGUARDS TO REDUCER IP CURRENT R I SK

Submitted by NWSN Staff on Wed, 08/08/2012

The National Weather Service has been incorporating ripcurrent risk information in its coastal and marine forecastproducts for years, as well as providing rip current safetyinformation to keep people safe and informed while at thebeach. The NWS forecast office in San Diego decided to takethings a step further when it began participating in a ripcurrent monitoring program with several lifeguard agenciesin the areas it serves. The program, developed by the NWSMeteorological Development Laboratory, or MDL, andsupported by the NWS Office of Climate, Water, andWeather Services, is designed to reduce rip current hazardsfor beachgoers through improved situational awarenessand forecasting.

"They've learned that we are just as passionate in our missionto protect lives as they are," said NWS San DiegoMeteorologist-in-Charge Roger Pierce of local lifeguardsinvolved in the program. "This has given our agency thecredibility it needed for them to respond to our requests forcooperation."

The program has been expanded and now covers 15 beachesand includes NWS forecast offices in Melbourne, Fla.,Northern Indiana, Chicago, Wilmington, N.C., New York,N.Y., and Jacksonville, Fla.

The hope among developers of the project is that it can con-tinue to grow to include additional beaches and NWS fore-

cast offices. "It would be great to see that a better surf and ripforecast product come to fruition from the cooperation andrelationships established between the lifeguards, our [office]and MDL," said Alex Tardy, warning coordination meteorol-ogist at the NWS San Diego office. "I would like to see oursurf product used as a vehicle to increase awareness and pro-mote safety."

Participating lifeguards issue reports, either once or twicedaily. The reports alert the NWS to rip current and surf con-ditions on the beach. Other important beach characteristics,such as tide state and swell direction (which may be differentonshore than what an offshore buoy would report) are alsorelayed.

These observations provide valuable data to help improvethe situational awareness of the participating forecast offices.According to Noel Isla, office observing program leader atthe NWS San Diego office, "Strong rips can occur at anytime, even when surf heights are in the 2-3 ft. range."

This past May, Stephen Harrison and Cindy Palmer, from theNWS San Diegoforecast office, joined Pierce, Tardy and Islaon a visit to beaches along theOrange and San Diego Countycoasts, including Huntington, Newport, SanClemente,Moonlight and Mission Beaches. At each stop,

continued on page 8


lifeguard officials gave thevisitors a tour of the beach, theirfacilities and the main lifeguard tower. They group alsotoured by boat coastal areas covered by Newport Beach andMission Beach.

Lifeguard officials provided the San Diego office staff valu-able operational information, such as local "problem areas"for rip currents, the direction of swells that bring the highestsurf and coastal flooding, and areas along the beach that mayexperience coastal flooding. They also provided feedback onthe effectiveness of NWS products and services and how theyimpact operations.

Back at NWS Headquarters, MDL staff are storing and evalu-ating the data sent by the lifeguards and comparing lifeguardreports to buoy observations and wave model data. By doingso, MDL hopes to develop rip current forecast guidance thatcan be tailored to individual beaches. This guidance could beused by forecasters to improve accuracy in NWS products thatalert the public to the threat rip currents. A beach-by-beachapproach is necessary, due to each beach's unique physical fea-tures, such as shoreline angle, slope, jetties, and piers, whichcan greatly affect the generation of rip currents. In addition,changing near-shore bathymetry, which may not be immedi-ately evident without onsite observation, contributes to ripcurrent intensity in ways that standard weather predictionmethods may not address. Bathymetry information musttherefore also be taken into account when developing diag-

nostic and forecasting methods.

An additional benefit to the collaboration with the lifeguardsis the promise of improved communication and partnershipbetween the NWS and the various lifeguard agencies, animportant part of the agency's goal to build a Weather-ReadyNation.

"Of course, this didn't happen overnight, but in the course ofseveral years," said Pierce. "They are excited that NOAA isworking to improve the science of predicting dangerous rips,which can aid the lifeguard agencies in resource planning tobetter protect the lives of beachgoers."

B. Chris Brewster, President of the United States LifesavingAssociation, who collaborated with NOAA on rip currenteducation through its Sea Grant program, has been a strongadvocate for creating partnerships between forecasters andthe rescuers who must respond to changing rip currentdynamics. Brewster noted that there are more than 40,000rescues from rip currents in Los Angeles, Orange, and SanDiego Counties each year.

"Most people have little ability to identify rip currents or ripcurrent intensity, so NWS advice can have far reaching con-sequences," Brewster said. "If there's a disconnect betweenprediction and reality, credibility may suffer and beachgoersmay make poor decisions. Conversely, if we can work togeth-er to improve the quality of NWS rip reports, we may be ableto enhance the safety of beachgoers and lifeguards may beable to rely more confidently on NWS predictions."

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NWS Working With Lifeguards... from page 7

THE ETH ICS OF BE ING A L I F EGUARDAlex Peabody, California Dept. of Parks & Rec.

As a lifeguard, wehave all faced ethicaldilemmas--whetherin our lives, or ourprofessional careers.

As we train our newlifeguard candidatesand supervise ourwork force, how wellare we preparing ourlifeguards for the eth-ical dilemmas theywill face—and whattools are we givingthem to use in orderto make the rightchoice when dealingwith these issues?

For perhaps the first time in their lives, our rookie lifeguardsare being given the responsibility of protecting lives. Despitethe fact that many beach visitors may not know that they areeven there--there is an inherent Public Trust that the life-guard is there to safeguard lives, prevent injury & death, andprovide emergency response and care.

Robert J. Isenor, credited with founding the California StateParks Lifeguard Service, wrote in the 1952 Beach OperationsManual, “Guards must conduct themselves in a mannerwhich will reflect credit upon the…Lifeguard Service, andpreclude public criticism. Lifeguards must not only be alert,but appear alert at all times.”

The primary purpose of a lifeguard service is the preventionof drowning by providing an effective team of trained aquat-ic safety professionals who protect, educate, and serve thepublic by providing emergency response and care, providepublic education on aquatic safety, and foster opportunitiesfor safe high-quality aquatic recreation.

Those are pretty serious expectations that are being placedon those inexperienced shoulders. How do they make theright choices when they are faced with an ethical dilemma—either on or off-duty?

These days, with serious budget cuts and reduction in life-guard services, many agencies have had to reduce to one per-son patrol vehicles, or opening only the busiest towers on thebeach. Many times when you work as a lifeguard you are byyourself and no one is looking over your shoulder.

As retired Lifeguard II, Eric Emery of Huntington StateBeach said, "Lifeguarding consists of long hours of dullmonotony, broken by moments of stark terror."

In his article, Surviving Ethical Dilemmas, Neal Trautmandescribes the Professional Attitude as being the antidote forrationalizing unethical decisions. “…mediocrity is the oppo-site of professionalism.” And while he is addressing policeofficer ethics in his article, I believe that these same issuescan be aptly applied to lifeguards. Trautman writes that,“Professionalism is easy to recognize but hard to define.”

For me, when I see a professional lifeguard—I know it andrecognize it.

• Professional Lifeguards take pride in the quality of theirwork—no matter what the job is.

• Professional Lifeguards have self-imposed standards of per-formance that are very high, even when no one is observ-ing or evaluating them.

• Professional Lifeguards maintain a positive perspective ontheir work.

Many of the Ethical Dilemmas you face as a Lifeguard can becaused by distractions such as:

• Socializing: Using your job as a dating service

• Off-duty guards hanging around your tower

• Off-duty social events or activities

• Phones (misuse of the landline, Cell phones, Texting,Twittering, etc.)

• Alcohol & drugs: On or Off-Duty

• Anything that interrupts or distracts from your primaryresponsibility

Off-duty events or activities can affect your on-duty statusand create Ethical Dilemmas for you. There can be a connec-tion (nexus) between your off-duty life and on-duty status.Just as Trautman describes policing, lifeguarding “is not acareer for those weak in character.” Lifeguards will face manydilemmas and temptations -- some unexpected and lastingonly a moment; others that can last for long, stressful periodsof time. Most supervisors would agree with Trautman whenhe writes, “Something almost all dilemmas and temptationshave in common is that they all can ruin or end a career.”


continued on page 10

Why do lifeguards act unethically? Here are a few reasons toconsider:

• A moment of bad judgment

• They lie to themselves (and others) with excuses

• Selfishness

• Afraid of not being accepted by their peers-- being ostra-cized for doing the right thing

• Because it was the easier, quicker answer to a problem

For our veteran lifeguards, Trautman speaks to bitterness andcynicism as often being catalysts for unethical decisions.“Fight the temptation to become pessimistic.”

Borrowing from Trautman and adding a few of my own, mak-ing the right choice requires:

• Wanting to be ethical to begin with

• Thinking and acting rationally

• Acting on your ethical intentions and setting aside theunethical choices

• Willing to be a “risk taker” (don’t be afraid to make theright choice)

What tools can we give our lifeguards to help them go aboutmaking the right choices if they are faced with an ethicaldilemma?

• Understand the issues

• Evaluate the facts

• Apply rational, objective standards tothe dilemma

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

If a lifeguard is presented with an ethicaldilemma in which they have to make animmediate choice, they should askthemselves:

• Is it worth my job?

• What would I do if my family was watch-ing me?

• Would those who love me be proud ofmy decision?

• How will this decision affect my life orother lives?

• How will I feel about myself 20 yearsfrom now?

The impact of unethical choices can also affect the PublicTrust that lifeguards have developed with millions of visitorsto our beaches. Lead lifeguards and supervisors should alwaysencourage lifeguards to do the right thing when faced with anethical dilemma. Additional resources for the lifeguard staffshould include:

• Encourage new lifeguards to look for and develop a mentor.

• Speak to your supervisor or a leader in your program.

• Talk to your family or a close friend who you respect.

• Seek counseling or turn to your own spiritual beliefs forguidance and help.

The reason that the California Lifeguard Pledge wasdeveloped was to provide Lifeguards with an ethical compassthat would remind us all of why we are Lifeguards.Go to: http://www.cslsa.org/employment/pledge.asp

Bibliography:

• Neal Trautman, June 15, 2009, Surviving EthicalDilemmas

• Craig M. Klugman, PhD, Why EMS Needs Its OwnEthics

• American Medical Association. Code of Ethics.www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2498.html

• Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

THE ETHICS OF BEING A LIFEGUARD... from page 9


ALM SUMMER 2012 (12)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida. May 16. RALPH Goto, theOcean Safety Administrator of the Ocean Safety andLifeguard Services Division of the City & County ofHonolulu in Hawaii, received the prestigious Paragon Awardfor Water Safety at the International Swimming Hall ofFame this past weekend.

Sponsored by Paragon Aquatics, Goto was recognized for hislifetime devotion and outstanding contributions in the areaof water safety which includes providing lifeguard servicesand oversight to dozens of ocean swims, triathlons, surfingcontest and other marine events on Oahu over the course ofhis three-decade career.

Goto is responsible for the nearly US$9 million budget andoperations of the year-round, professional ocean lifeguardservice on Oahu. The division employs a full-time staff of 155

water safety officers and 70 part-time lifeguards who provideprotective services at Oahu's most popular and high-riskbeaches.

"The annual Paragon Awards bring some of the most inter-esting and fascinating people each year to the Hall of Fame,"said International Swimming Hall of Fame President BruceWigo. "These are the unsung heroes who make who savelives, promote water safety and further aquatic education."

"I have known Ralph since the mid-1980s," recalled StevenMunatones. "He always has a kind word and smile for every-one, either on the beach or at the office, but the profession-alism and preparation that goes behind the scenes is secondto none. He and his team of lifeguards at the City & Countyof Honolulu are the individuals who have rightly earned therespect of everyone who enters the waters of Oahu."


R A LPH GOTO IS HONORED AT THE INTERNAT IONALSWIMMING HALL OF FAME – MAY 16 , 2012

ALM Staff Writers


Lightning has killed lifeguards. Lightning has seriously injuredlifeguards. And of course, the same has happened to many beach-goers over the years. More than 50 people die in the US each yearfrom lightning, with many others very seriously injured. It’s a haz-ard we as public safety professionals must take seriously.

So when it was suggested by our long time partners, the NationalWeather Service, that we collaborate to develop guidelines thatcould be used by lifeguards to protect ourselves and the beachgo-ers we are employed to protect, we immediately agreed.

USLA Vice-President Peter Davis and I worked over a period ofmonths with a team from the National Weather Service. Theyprovided expertise on lightning. We provided expertise on beachsafety management. The materials were reviewed and approved inconcept by the USLA Board of Directors, refined with theirinput, and completed in June 2012.

From the beginning, we realized we needed to develop a docu-ment with general guidelines and information. But lifeguardagencies, like other public safety agencies, need action plans thatare specific to given hazards, so that they can respond consistent-ly and professionally. This brought us to developing a SitePreparation Checklist, to ensure that preparatory action andequipment is in place, and an Emergency Action Plan for light-ning (EAP) that can be edited to local circumstances and made apart of any lifeguard agency’s policies.

It’s challenging for individual lifeguard agencies to develop poli-

cies on issues like this, because garnering the necessary expertisemay be difficult and the process can be time consuming. As well,whenever emergency action plans vary from place to place, theirlegitimacy can be questioned.

We had the benefit of consulting with the national experts onlightning. There were many revisions to the documents as theylearned more about the challenges of lifesaving and we learnedmore about the hazard of lightning. What resulted is a set of doc-uments lifeguards and lifeguard agencies can use in a very practi-cal way to protect themselves and the public.

These guidelines are intended to help lifeguards protect the pub-lic, protect themselves, and reduce the toll of lightning-relatedinjuries in the United States. Lifeguard agencies are not obligat-ed to follow them. They are offered by the USLA and the NWSas examples of best practice and as advice. That said, all profes-sional public safety agencies should have plans in place to addressanticipated hazards that can seriously injure or kill. These mate-rials offer a path for professional lightning preparedness and helppromote national consistency.

You can find these documents, including and editable EmergencyAction Plan, on the USLA website at: www.usla.org/lightning.They are reprinted here due to their importance. They representanother example of how the United States LifesavingAssociation, as an assemblage of professionals, advances our pro-fession and offers value to our members and affiliated agencies.

L IGHTN ING SAFET Y GU IDEL INES ES TABL I SHEDB. Chris Brewster, San Diego, CA


C A L I FORN IA S TATE PARKS TOP L I F EGUARD RET IRESNan Kappeler and Mike Bartlett, Huntington Beach, CA

After a career in lifeguarding spanning32 years, California State Park’s AlexPeabody, 51, is hanging up his buoy andholstering his sidearm, and heading forretirement. What began as a summerlifeguard job at a pool in Santa Cruz in1978, led to a career in the lifesavingfield including travel throughout theworld and hundreds of water rescues.

Starting as a seasonal lifeguard inNorthern California’s Pajaro CoastDistrict, Peabody went on to spend twoyears working in New Zealand, trainingas an Inflatable Boat Operator (IRB),gaining valuable experience in surf res-cues. He recalls having just arrived atPiha Beach during the pre-summer sea-son and during a run, seeing a person caught in a rip currentappearing to be in serious trouble.

“I had one of those moments thinking I could run across thestreet for my gear or just go out. I made the decision to go,”he says, noting a small child in blue shorts standing on thebeach. “As I ran to the water, I yelled at the kid to get back,away from the rip.”

After rescuing what turned out to be another small child inthe rip who was nearly unconscious, Peabody heard a childwas missing. Shortly after, a body was found in the water.

“It was the child in the blue shorts,” he says. My attitude andperspective on lifeguarding really changed. I knew this jobwas serious.”

After returning toCalifornia’s west coastin 1982, Peabodybecame a permanentstate employee in theOrange Coast districtand a year later becamea lifeguard supervisor.As an avid surfer, diverand fisherman, Alex,over the years, hasreceived numerous pro-motions. Since 2003,he has served as aLifeguard Specialist IIIand Aquatic Specialist

in the public safety division.

Peabody served as a leader not just inState Parks but as a recognized leaderin the lifesaving profession. He servedseveral terms for both the CaliforniaSurf Lifesaving Association (CSLSA)as an Executive Board member andChairman of the Legislation andStatistics Committees, and as a dele-gate to the United States LifesavingAssociation.

According to CSLSA President MikeBeuerlein, “Alex is passionate aboutlifeguard professionalism. He keeps ourmembers informed of legislative devel-opments and risk management. Alexshares innovative statistics programs

and urges agencies to document their public service. As alifeguard for life, we are fortunate that he continues to chairCSLSA committees.”

Alex won’t let retirement slow him down.

“With two daughters, spear fishing, running and surfing, I’llbe busy,” he says.


F LOR IDA AGENCY USES CREAT I VE METHODTO ENHANCE SAFET Y IN T IGHT BUDGET

Joseph D'Agostino, Destin Beach, FL

Our Fire District, like many other public safety agenciesacross the Unites States, has been challenged by a substantialdecrease in the budget. One of the hardest hit line items formost is equipment. We try to stretch more and more¬¬ lifeout of wave runners, ATVs, uniforms, etc. Destin BeachSafety has been in dire need of rescue boards for over twoyears, as our old boards were creating rashes and started toweigh more after each ding was repaired.

This winter, we were approached by one of our lifeguards,Phill Lloyd, owner and operator of Barrier Waterman LLC.Phill presented to the Fire Chief and me the idea of advertis-ing local business entities on the bottom of the boards. Ithought at first the idea may be met with resistance by thepublic, but was proven wrong. The boards have been a win-win-win situation for all parties involved. The sponsor winsby getting brand recognition on our busy beaches while alsohelping the community. The Fire District wins by takingthe burden off the taxpayers while still providing a qualityservice. The last winner is our lifeguards.

For the 2012 lifeguard season, we had AJ’s Seafood andOyster Bar, Ocean Reef Realty, Fat Clemenza’s Restaurant,and an anonymous donor sponsor boards. The boards are dis-played 9 a.m.-5 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend throughLabor Day. Barrier Waterman provides us with two boards 21inches wide, and two that are 22 inches wide for larger pad-dlers or those just learning. Each board has been double vac-uum bagged and weighs only 19 pounds! STRONG andLIGHT!

I would strongly recommend to all agencies facing shrinkingbudgets to consider the Barrier Waterman board sponsorshipprogram. Phill has years of lifeguard and race experiencefrom his years of service in Australia and the U.S. All boardsare custom made in the U.S., NO CHINA POP OUTS! Bestof all the sponsors can pick their own design or graphics to bedisplayed on the board. A true win-win-win situation for all!

If you need more information, contact me at (850) 685-0408or Phill Lloyd at (321) 292-4334.

DESTIN FIRE CONTROL DISTRICT848 Airport Road – Destin, Florida 32541Telephone (850) 837-8413 Fax (850) 837-6715

ALM SPR ING 2012 (17)


ORANGE BEACH INS TAL L S I T S F IRS T L I F EGUARD TOWERSON PUBL I C BEACHES

Kathy Jumper, Orange Beach, Alabama - reprinted with permission

ORANGE BEACH,Alabama -- To boostpublic safety, the city hasinstalled its first two life-guard towers on the pub-lic beaches just in timefor summer, according toMelvin Shepard, beachsafety director for thecity.

Lifeguard stations No. 1and No. 2 are set up onCotton Bayou publicbeach off Perdido BeachBoulevard near Ala. 161,and on Romar Beach onPerdido Beach Boulevard, 6.8 miles east of Ala. 59. Eachtower has a Jet Ski stationed nearby; the watercraft weredonated by a local resident.

"We patrol 7½ miles of beach and this is the first time we’vehad towers -- it’s a major event for us," Shepard said. The life-guards cover the beaches from the Flora-Bama Lounge &Package Store to Gulf State Park.

The lifeguards have been patrolling the coast in OrangeBeach since 2008, with two lifeguards working four hours aday, he said. Today, there are six lifeguards monitoring thebeaches from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Shepard, a former U.S. Marine, is looking to hire a few morelifeguards, as the city wants to post lifeguards on a city boatto pick up trash and marine debris on the waterways as partof the Orange Beach Waterways and Coastline EnhancementProgram that debuted Memorial Day.

"As our budget increases we will get more staff," he said.

Beach towns are unique in that the fire and rescue crews alsorespond to water distress calls, according to Orange BeachFire and Rescue Chief Shane Phillips.

One-third of the department members are cross-trained asrescue swimmers and are certified by the U.S. LifesavingAssociation, the chief said.

"When we get a call about a swimmer in distress, the fire and

rescue crew are sent aswell as the closest life-guards, and jet skis aredispatched from fire sta-tion 2," Phillips said."There’s hardly ever oneperson in distress. Oncethe initial person is sta-bilized we pick them upon the jet ski."

"If you are not a strongswimmer and you go into help someone, yourisk being a victim aswell," Shepard said.

Last year the crew had37 rescues, Shepard said. "Time is of the essence," he said."You have only got a small window before an active drown-ing victim becomes a passive drowning victim."

Nationally, the lifeguard associations have always promotedthat the safest place to swim is near a lifeguard station,according to Shepard. "Now we can say that. We want visi-tors to come here, have a good time, spend their money andgo home safe."

Orange Beach lifeguards Jeff Kimsey, Jesse Ross, Ward Kennedy and Beach Safety DirectorMelvin Shepard at the new lifeguard tower 1 at Cotton Bayou public beach acess in

Orange Beach on May 31, 2012. (Press-Register, Kate Mercer)

In tight financial times, many cities save money by outsourc-ing municipal services such as clerical work to private com-panies. But there is no service more central to governmentand the people it serves than public safety, which shouldremain the responsibility of public agencies. The case of afired lifeguard in Florida shows why.

Beachgoers brought lifeguard Tomas Lopez's attention to aman floundering in shallow water. He raced to the scene; bythen, the man had been pulled to the beach but had water inhis lungs. Lopez tended to him until medical help arrived.

The swimmer survived, but not Lopez's job. His employer, anaquatics company that provides lifeguard services to the cityof Hallandale Beach, decided that he had quite literallycrossed the line by running to an area that was not part of thecompany's contracted responsibility, exposing it to possibleliability. Several other lifeguards quit in protest. And after anationwide outcry, the company offered all of the guardstheir jobs back, saying that, in fact, Lopez hadn't left his sec-tor of the beach unprotected.

But the lifeguards aren't going back. Let's face it, it's not asthough the job was such a great gig. Lopez was paid just $8.25an hour, a little more than Florida's minimum wage. He andhis fellow guards could make close to the same money flipping

burgers rather than taking responsibility for strangers' lives.

And their employer, Jeff Ellis Management Co., still doesn'tget it. The issue isn't whether another lifeguard was availableto cover Lopez's turf, or whether he went 1,000 feet beyondthe boundary. Government agencies have a long history ofmutual aid when it comes to providing public safety; they goto the rescue of people outside their boundaries when need-ed. They hire employees for reasonable pay and expect themto serve the public good. If municipal employees whose jobinvolves first aid see a choking person on the other side of thecity's line, they know it's not the time to call in to headquar-ters for permission to save a life or to calculate the potentialliability.

Even in the public domain, the concept of mutual aid hasfrayed a bit lately. Some cash-strapped California cities havebegun charging nonresidents for emergency response if theyare involved in an accident. But at least they provide the aidfirst, then ask questions (and send the bill) later.

There's a lot that government can't afford anymore. Butwhen we take shortcuts on our responsibility to rescue oneanother in life-or-death emergencies, we abandon the mostbasic function of communal welfare.


F LOR IDA ' S L AUDED , L E T -GO L I F EGUARDTHE CASE OF F IRED FLOR IDA L I F EGUARD TOMAS LOPEZ I S A LESSON IN THE DANGERS

OF PUTT ING PUBL I C SAFE TY IN THE HANDS OF FOR -PROF I T COMPAN IESReprinted from LA Times Staff Editorial


E - B L AS T RERUNI S YOUR EMA I L IN YOUR MEMBER PROF I L E ? I F SO , YOU RECE I V ED THE E -BLAST BELOW IN YOURINBOX ON JULY 24 , 2012 . I F NOT, TH I S I S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO RECE I V E FROM T IME TOT IME BETWEEN ED I T IONS OF ALM TO UPDATE YOU . LOG IN TODAY TO YOUR MEMBER ACCOUNT

AND MAKE SURE YOUR EMA I L I S INCLUDED SO YOU ’ L L RECE I V E THESE USEFUL UPDATES .

NATIONAL LIFEGUARD CHAMPIONSHIPS

This summer, the USLA National Lifeguard Championships andthe USLA Junior Lifeguard Championships return to historic CapeMay, New Jersey from August 8 – 11. Cape May has been a popu-lar destination for the event due in part to its excellent beachvenue, welcoming pedestrian village, and a beach patrol with 100years of experience.

Participating in Nationals is not only a great opportunity to com-pete with agencies from around the Nation, but also to hone anddemonstrate skills used daily by professional lifeguards.

Online registration is now available! Competitors are stronglyencouraged to register online prior to the event. Those who arriveat the event without registering will be required to use a computerwith Internet connection, just as they would be able to do at home.Save time. Don't wait in line. Register before you arrive!

Review Key Information! "B" teams need to have their verificationletter submitted by July 30, 2012. All Open Relays now have a reg-istration deadline. Specific deadlines for each relay can be foundunder "Key Information" at www.uslanationals.org. Registrationforms will be available On-Site beginning Tuesday, August 7th.

Event details are located here: www.uslanationals.org. Next year,the USLA Nationals move to the West Coast to Los AngelesCounty. Details TBA. See you in Cape May!

USLA SEEKS OPEN AND YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS

The USLA is currently recruiting lifesaving competitors for its 12person USLA Open National Team and for a second (first timeever) 12 person youth team, made up of lifeguards and junior guards(aged 16-19).

The two teams will represent the USA at the International LifeSaving Federation's "Rescue 2012" (Lifesaving WorldChampionships) to be held November 7-18th in Adelaide,Australia. Both teams consist of 6 males and 6 females.

Further details and an explanation on how to apply can be foundhere: http://bit.ly/Nt487P . Don't delay! A decision on team mem-bership will be made shortly.

RESCUE 2012: LIFESAVING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

escue 2012 will be held in Adelaide, South Australia fromNovember 7-18, 2012 and will include 5 separate competitions:World National Team Championships, World InterclubChampionships, World Masters Championships, World Surf BoatChampionships, and World Inflatable Rescue BoatChampionships.

Registrations are now open! Rescue 2012 is open to all proficientlifesavers who are current members of an approved organizationlike the USLA. Visit the official website of the Rescue 2012,Lifesaving World Championships at http://rescue2012.com.au/.

Keep track of all upcoming lifesaving events by visitingwww.usla.org/calendars.

LIGHTNING SAFETY GUIDELINES RELEASEDThe United States LifesavingAssociation (USLA) is pleased toannounce the launch of a new lightningsafety initiative for lifeguards in collab-oration with the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA)and the National Weather Service(NWS). The results of this effort, whichcan be found at www.usla.org/lightning,include general guidelines, a modelemergency action plan (EAP), and asite preparation checklist.

Lightning kills an average of 54 people in the United States eachyear, according to the NWS. Lifeguards have been killed andinjured by lightning, but so have many visitors to outdoor venuesnear the bodies of water that lifeguards protect. Lifeguards arefrontline safety providers who can successfully intervene to mini-mize the chances of injury and death in these instances.

"These guidelines are intended to help lifeguards protect the pub-lic, protect themselves, and reduce the toll of lightning-relatedinjuries in the United States," said B. Chris Brewster, President ofthe United States Lifesaving Association.

The sample emergency plan is for use by lifeguard agencies andintended to be edited in accordance with local circumstances andprotocols. In addition to www.usla.org/lighting, the LifeguardLightning Safety Guidelines can be found in the Guard to Guardsection of USLA’s website at www.usla.org.

USLA FALL NATIONAL MEETING: MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

The Great Lakes Region is pleased to host the USLA Fall 2012Board of Directors Meeting and Educational Conference. Themeeting will take place at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center inMinneapolis, Minnesota on October 25-27, 2012.

USLA National Meeting directions, agenda, and hotel informationcan be found in the Guard to Guard section of www.usla.orgunderMeetings and Seminars.

Book your discounted hotel rooms for Minneapolis Today!


L I F EGUARDS WI TH BENEF I T SNan Kappeler, Huntington Beach, CA

The job of lifeguarding has always come with special perks. Being able to work outside on the water each day, ensuring swim-mer safety, a chance to stay in peak physical shape and a dress code of shorts and flip flops are just a few reasons why so manypeople are envious of our job.

Add deep discounts for products and services as another bonus. As a full or part-time guard, you are eligible to take advan-tage of purchasing items from companies who support the USLA at discounted prices.

To purchase most items, log onto the USLA website. Some of the programs require an additional application that can be sub-mitted through a website link. Below is a summary of the current programs.

DaFin- Great a pair of Kicks, the official fins of the Hawaii lifeguards in bright red oryellow. Designed as a drop-knee body boarding fin, they are designed to fit in the gun-nel of most jet skis used on open water rescue. MSRP: $61.00 USLA members: $31.95(plus shipping charges)

Hobie Sunglasses- Not only has Hobie been a long-time supporter of the USLA, thesepolarized sunglasses have been a lifeguard favorite. New for 2012 is the “Motion” line(L), designed for demanding sports and women’s specific glasses (middle) and a sportsline (R). USLA members: 50% off retail pricing and shipping is often free.

C4 Waterman- Check out the hundreds of items for the water from this Hawaii based company. From clothing, hats, paddle-boards, long boards and videos can be found on this website. USLA members receive pro pricing on all items not currently onsale. Log onto to the USLA website for the coupon code and products. www.c4waterman.com

Office Depot- Discounted office supplies and furniture are available by going through the USLA website and registering foran online account. No shipping charges for online orders.

Ford Motor Company- Offers lifeguards discounts on automobiles. Follow the instructions for obtaining a member code andlocal dealer discounts on the USLA website.

Patagonia- Not a USLA sponsor but offers full-time lifeguards up to 50% off on their high-quality wear. Favorites include moisture wicking shirts, rain repellent and fleece jackets. Forsunny days, try the technical polyester hoody with 20-UPFto deflect the glare from the sunand water. Available in blue, white and black. www.patagoniapro.com


L I F ES AV ING FOR EVERYONEA K ID FR I ENDLY APPROACH TO BEACH SAFE TY AWARENESS

Megan Vermaas, Fort Walton Beach, FL

As lifesavers one of our most importantduties is that of spreading the message ofawareness and prevention. We do thisby walking our beaches teaching thepublic, posting signs and flags, and ofcourse educating children through ourJunior Lifeguard programs. We try totouch as many as we can with our mes-sage of Beach Safety Awareness.

When I took on the role as one ofOkaloosa Beach Safety’s SeniorLifeguard, my unofficial title became,Prevention Specialist. This meant that Iwould now be in charge of some of ourorganization’s Public Relations activitiesas well as the regular Senior Lifeguardsupervisory duties. I was really excited totake on this role because of the PublicRelations aspect as I am currently pursu-ing a degree in PR. Once the summerended I immediately began working on acouple of different projects aimedtowards educating the public about beach safety from the per-spective of a professional lifeguard. One of my main goals wasto revamp our pre-existing Beach Safety Awareness strategythat involved getting into elementary schools and educatingkids on the most basic level about Beach Safety, and the Beachenvironment. I began researching online for inspiration andcame across a Beach Safety Awareness project that was takingplace in Sentosa Beach in Singapore. I began communicatingwith Sentosa Beach patrol asking them for input for our ownBeach Safety Awareness Campaign. Their program is very

developed. They’ve got a team of life-guards that travel to schools to dodemonstrations and even a cartoonseries featuring their mascot, BuddyCool. Our organization is much smallerthan Sentosas’ and not nearly as wellfunded but I was able to gather a few tipsfrom them, one of the most importantbeing the need for a mascot. A memo-rable face to put with the message wewere trying to spread. DARE has theDARE lion, Crime Stoppers has ScruffMagruff, the Crime Dog and nowOkaloosa Beach Safety has Buddy theBeach Safety Dolphin.

We ordered the Dolphin costume onlinefor about $250 and dubbed him Buddyafter the beach safety tip, “always swimwith a buddy.”

Next I had the task of putting together apresentation that would be filled with

valuable and pertinent information, but kid friendly at thesame time. Kids at the elementary school level are visual learn-ers and respond well to ideas that they can see and touch. I puttogether a few props; I packed a beach bag full of sunscreen,water, sunglasses, a beach towel, flip flops, a hat and a bottle ofJelly Fish Squish for an interactive part of the presentation inwhich I have 7 kids come up and pull things out of the bag. Asthey take turns pulling items out of the bag we talk about stay-ing hydrated at the beach and sun protection, as well as somefun stuff like what to put on a Jellyfish sting (the kids love the“Squish)”. Next we talk about Beach Flag colors and Buddyholds up the different colored beach flags as I tell the kids that“the easiest way to remember the flags is to think of them likea traffic light.” Green is “GO” Yellow is “SLOW/CAUTION”and Red of course is, “STOP”. When Buddy holds up thePurple flag the kids are amazed to learn that Jellyfish have theirvery own flag color!

The end of the presentation takes a more serious tone as wediscuss rip currents, a subject which the kids usually know lit-tle to nothing about. We talk about how scary it would be tohave the water pull you away from the beach and how eventhe strongest swimmers could get in trouble if caught in a ripcurrent. This leads perfectly into the matter of always swim-ming near a lifeguard so that we can help them if they ever doget in trouble. Buddy and I demonstrate some rescue tech-niques with the Burnside buoy and the Peterson tube and the


Volunteers are selected for the beach bag activity,an interactive part of the presentation.

A group of second graders teaches Buddy how to hula hoop after a presentation.


kids laugh as I pretend to tow Buddy back to the beach andjoke about how heavy he is. Since we started the Beach Safetywith Buddy program in February, Buddy and I have visited 12elementary schools and presented to about 5,000 kids allKindergarten through grade 5. We usually come in for the firstPE period and give the 20 minute presentation to each PEperiod until the end of the day. It’s a long day (there are usual-ly about 6 PE periods that we present to in one day), but theway that the kids and even the teachers respond to us makes itmore than worth it. Buddy and I were even rewarded with amanila envelope filled with Thank You cards and drawingsafter our first presentation. The drawings hung on the stationbulletin board for a couple of weeks. It didn’t take long forword to get out about Buddy and the Beach Safety presenta-tions and now my schedule is packed with appointments forschool presentations with requests coming as far away as Baker,which is about an hour’s drive North from Okaloosa Island,and the beach.

It’s amazing what a few small changes to our Beach SafetyCampaign have done for our organization and the community.One of the points I express at the end of every presentation isthat we welcome everyone to come say hello to the lifeguardnext time they are at the beach, and it’s always okay to ask forhelp. I feel like the program has really begun to create a bondbetween the community and us lifesavers that didn’t existbefore. Most importantly we have a lot more kids out therethat are educated about Beach Safety and we are hoping to seea reduction of water rescues and medical calls on our beachesin the next few years. The best thing about the program is thatany Beach Safety organization can accomplish what we have.It didn’t cost us much to get started, and the schools welcomedus and were even grateful to us for visiting. All you need is alittle passion, passion for your job and passion for spreading themessage of beach safety. The effects may not be immediate, butover time you will begin to see the ripples.

Lifesaving For Everyone... from page 30

Buddy reminds everyone to always swim with a Buddy and never swim alone!

BEACHGOERS OVERES T IMATESWIMMING AB I L I T I E S ,UNDERES T IMATE R IP

CURRENT S , EXPER T S SAYSarah Watson, Atlantic City, NJ

reprinted from The Press of Atlantic City

Rip currents are nearly always visible to trained eyes near themostly submerged jetty between Kentucky Avenue and Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Atlantic City.

This is where 10-year-old Khitan Devine, of North Carolina,disappeared Sunday evening after he and several familymembers got caught in a rip current on a warm, late springnight after lifeguards had left for the day. Sunday’s rescue mis-sion turned to recovery Monday only to be suspended,restarted and suspended again Tuesday.

“A lot of people, they hear the term 'rip current,' a lot of peo-ple don’t know what they look like, what they do or how to getout of them,” said Robert Ogoreuc, a water safety advocate.

Rip currents can vary in appearance. The one over theMartin Luther King Boulevard jetty Tuesday afternoonlooked like a turbulent river rushing against the incomingwaves. At other places, rip currents can look like a smoothspot in between breakers. Lifeguards also look for differentcolored water, floating lines of foam or even chunks of sea-weed concentrated in an area rushing away from the beach.

Tuesday afternoon, just 20 feet away from the jetty whereKhitan was swept away, Jimmy Brown, 40, of Atlanta, playedin ankle deep water with his 5-year-old daughter Zaria.Brown said he'd never heard of a rip current, but had heardof the incident nearby. “It makes me watch the kids more andstay alert,” he said.

Brown said one of his sons, Jimmy, 11, was among the first torush into the water. “He can’t wait to get in the water,”Brown said. “I can stop him. He will listen to me.”

Brown said he does know how to swim, but his children stillare learning. “I don’t go far. I keep them safe,” he said as heheld Zaria’s hand.

Tips on how to save your own life if you get caught in a ripcurrent frequently are posted along beach entrances through-out the country — including at the wooden walkover nearthe jetty, or groin, where Khitan went missing. The most



important advice: Stay calm, go with the flow out to sea andthen gradually swim back to shore in a diagonal direction. Inother words, don’t fight the current and don’t panic. Andnever swim on unguarded beaches.

While Khitan’s mother, Tamika Wilder, told The Press ofAtlantic City that her son knew how to swim, but manybeachgoers don’t have basic swimming skills. Many moredon’t recognize the difference between swimming in a pooland swimming in the ocean.

Bruckner Chase, an Ocean City-based swimming instructorand ocean swimming advocate, said that often people who gointo the water don’t have a good assessment of their swim-ming strength or the strength of the ocean. “There’s a com-mon disconnect between the environment that they arewalking next to or wading in,” he said.

Rip currents almost always exist near structures in the water,whether they are submerged or not, said Jon Miller, a profes-sor at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. Millerdescribes the scenario as this: Wave energy is coming towardshore, but when it hits a structure such as a jetty, groin, rockwall or pier, that energy is deflected back to sea quickly. Thatconcentrated energy is what forms the current rushingagainst the incoming waves.

The currents also form in areas where there is a break in asandbar just offshore, because that allows water returningback to sea from shore a faster route, Miller said.

Miller recently developed a smart phone app for beachpatrols as a way to gather more information about rip cur-rents and where they form. Information that lifeguards haveregarding the frequency and intensity of the currents on theirbeach rarely reaches the National Weather Service, whichputs out general forecasts, or coastal engineering researchers,who study the currents and what causes them, Miller said.

The app is in testing in Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Seaside Parkand Belmar, Miller said, but Stevens Institute researchershope to involve beach patrols throughout New Jersey.

“Really the strength of this whole app is the more reports westart to see, the more valuable it is to the National WeatherService,” he said.

Any difference in the waves, whether it’s a place where thewaves seem smaller or are a different color or even filled withseaweed, can be an indicator of a rip current, said Ogoreuc,who used to be a training officer for the Ocean City BeachPatrol and now works as a professor in western Pennsylvania.

“When Mom and Dad come out on the beach, and they’relooking at the waves, families come down (to the water) andsay ‘oh there’s no waves breaking here, it must be a safe placeto swim,” Ogoreuc said. “The fact is, the reason there’s nowaves there is there’s a rip current suppressing the waves.”

But knowing where the currents are is only part of keepingpeople safe. Knowing how to swim also is critical, but manyvacationers either don’t know how to swim or they don’t knowhow to swim well. Three key concepts can improve safety —knowing how to swim, never swimming alone and know theenvironment in which you’re swimming, Ogoreuc said.

Teaching children to swim, whether they live near the coastor inland, is a critical component to public safety, Ogoreucsaid, because the skills can help you save your own life.“People need to start getting swimming lessons early, buteven if you’re an adult, find adult swimming lessons,” he said.“Every community has to take a look and invest in the safe-ty of their kids.”

Those lessons should not just be about learning to float andmove around in the water, but also how to handle differenttypes of water because families go on vacation, Ogoreuc said.

Ocean City is one municipality that is trying to improvewater safety by offering free swimming lessons to certainthird-graders at the city’s primary school. Teachers select thestudents they know who may not be able to afford swimminglessons, and every spring, that year’s group attends lessonsprovided by volunteers at the Ocean City Aquatic andFitness Center, said Karen Pratz, the center’s aquatics pro-gram director.

"They live on an island, and they need to learn how to swim.That was the whole point," Pratz said.

Beachgoers Overestimate Swimming Abilities... from page 31

Recovery personnel search around the jetty after reports from a fishermansighted something in the area. The sightings proved false.


THE SWIMFred Weber, Margate, NJ

I had seen Jack in the morning and we had discussed the pos-sibility of going for an ocean swim later in the day. I wassecretly hoping that he would not call back. It was that fan-tastic summer of waves every single day. The tropics lookedlike final approach at a busy airport on a Friday night; at onetime there were four glorious storms lined up in the pipelineready to send us more waves.

On this precise day, another of these particular tempests wasskirting our waters a few hundred miles away. But this swellwas different. The ocean had become fully arisen. Oldtimers would call this a “white sea,” with nothing visibleexcept waves and white spray. Jack did in fact call, and weagreed to take a look at conditions later in the afternoon.

Now Jack is a great ocean swimmer. He might be the great-est ocean swimmer in southern New Jersey. He has raced andwon in all age categories starting in his teens. Now he isemeritus. Jack is a great guy and great friend. His bistro wasStotbeck’s Bay Club in Margate and it was the premier spotand the place to see and be seen.

Jack shows up with Abbott. I thought it would be only Jackand myself, but I quickly realized that having a third lifeguardalong was a blessing. We had all been on the beach patrol;however, each of us was from a different decade. Jack was onin the fifties, I was on in the sixties, and Abbott was on in theseventies. Jack and I were from the Margate City BeachPatrol, Abbott was from the Atlantic City Beach Patrol.Subsequently, we had all grown up and had become produc-tive members of our community.

Jack says, “let’s swim down to headquarters.” [slightly north-east of Lucy the elephant]. From our vantage point it wouldbe under a mile, not too difficult in calm waters, but in theraging inferno in front of us, the fear factor set in. We decid-ed that we could probably make it and that we would try tostay together. Why not?

So the three of us agreed to swim out past the last sandbarbreak, head south until we saw Lucy, and then come in, ohyes, remember to avoid the Cedar Grove rock jetty. And wewould do it in a very big ocean.

The near shore ocean floor is comprised of small hills andvalleys. The currents sculpt the sand and the waves break inresponse to the shape of the bottom. Sand bars are commonalong our sandy beaches. The bar is separated from the shorebreak by the gully. You are safe in the gully, and althoughover your head, you can take a nice breather in the gully.Even in the fiercest nor’easter the gully has no breaking

waves and is sanctuary. The gully also has a fast lateral cur-rent, and by bobbing in the gully, my daughters with theirdad lifeguarding, could cover 10 streets in no time at all.They delighted on these epic nor’easter floats as young chil-dren. Both of them went on to become distinguished beachpatrol members.

Shakespeare in Julius Caesar recounts a water rescue whichwas carried out in nasty, dangerous river water. Cassius didthen what the three of us had done many times in our collec-tive experience. We rescued drowning swimmers.

The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,Caesar said to me ‘Darest thou, Cassius, nowLeap in with me into this angry flood,And swim to yonder point? …

… But ere we could arrive at the point proposedCaesar cried ‘Help me, Cassius, or I sink!’…

… so from the waves of the TiberDid I the tired Caesar. And this manIs now become a god…

William Shakespeare, Julius CaesarAct 1, Scene 2, lines 103-118

We entered the water at the Jerome Avenue rock jetty ripcurrent. Lifeguards and surfers love rip currents as a free rideout. When the “highway” is working, it is a five knot ridestraight out. Today the water was curling, and churning, butit was the only way through the pounding, shore break hol-low-backs. I made it through the shore break and then tookstock of the situation. I am ok, so far, and I am floating in thegully. First I see one and then now I see two. We all made itinto the first gully safely and intact!

In front of us lay three sandbars of hurricane waves, with twomore gullies, until we reached the ultimate safety of the out-side. Outside is the land beyond the last breakers, it is whereyou want to be. The gully is nice, but you really need to beoutside. The plan was updated. We made it this far, lets presson. We planned to head straight out, attack the three wallsof waves directly, swim down almost a mile, then penetratethe wave walls in reverse order and, oh yes, do not forgetabout the Cedar Grove rocks.

We took our time going through the huge sandbar waves,keeping each other in sight, and regrouping in the gullies. Itwas not really that bad. To avoid turbulence, a swimmer


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must really dive deeply to escape the chaos of the whitewater, and we did just that. Swimming was substantially eas-ier than it would have been trying to surf this washingmachine ocean.

Suddenly we looked at ourselves in jubilation. We were out-side. There were no more waves, only really giant swells withhuge bellies in between each one. We had an easy relaxingsplash down to where we could see Lucy the Elephant on theincreasingly looking faraway shore. It was time to come inand we did not have a plan.

What would be our mode of attack for the return to the

beach? We had not discussed this phase of the swim. Why?Maybe because we thought we might not make it. Maybe wewere just boys and did not think that far in advance. Maybethere were three individual plans. There were three individ-ual plans. So, we split up, and headed for shore alone. Webeached ourselves in our own fashion [do not forget aboutthe Cedar Grove rocks] and walked into headquarters.

The Captain said that the ocean was closed, he then lookedup and saw the thee of us dripping and a little fatigued. Henodded his head in our direction. With that we left andwent our separate ways. The Swim was exciting, frightening,and indelibly etched into my memory. This tale cannot beproperly told nor believed in casual conversation.

The Swim... from page 33


SUMMER2012-VOL.3,NO€¦ · Staff Photographers Jo Wagenhhals, Southeast Joel Gitelson, LA County,...

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