By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
It looks like it’s just another day at the beach and while it is a day at the beach, a lifeguard is not on the beach to have fun. Though they do for the most part enjoy their jobs, but they also know their skills and attention can make the difference between life and death.
The good news is that statistics show swimmers who swim at beaches with lifeguards have only a 1 in 18 million chance of drowning.
It’s a rigorous job and not for the faint of heart. A beach lifeguard will be out in the heat for many hours. There is the continuous up-and-down climb from the tower to warn swimmers of conditions and the absolute necessity of paying attention to their assigned area of the beach.
Galveston’s Beach Patrol provides lifeguard coverage for nine miles of beaches. The season starts in March with spring break and ends in October.
Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis grew up in Galveston and started working as a lifeguard when he was 17 years old. He also is a licensed Texas Police officer.
“This year has been extremely busy. Our stats are higher than past years,” said Chief Davis. “The water is rougher than usual, which will cause an increase in the number of interventions needed and the visitor number has been higher,” he added.
An intervention is when a lifeguard speaks to a swimmer regarding an unsafe swimming situation, such as a swimmer near the rocks or the threat of lightning. This year has seen around 300,000 interventions from the lifeguards.
Another issue the Beach Patrol coped with this season was a staffing shortage. But they made sure the towers were covered.
“The team of guards from Colombia on student visas really picked up a lot of the hours. They took a lot of pressure off from everyone,” said Captain Tony Pryor.
“Every staff member did some heavy lifting to get us through this year,” said Davis.
Actual rescues have only reached 150 this beach season. “We attribute the low number of rescues to the interventions. If we can keep swimmers out of the hazard zones, we are less likely to need to rescue a swimmer,” said Davis.
“We are like a family. We all work together to prevent worst-case scenarios” said lifeguard Charlotte Blaketer.
Rescues are defined as a lifeguard going into the water and making physical contact with a swimmer using a rescue tube or other method to physically assist a swimmer in distress.
Each lifeguard shift begins with an assessment of the water through a water exercise such as a mock rescue board, followed by calisthenics. Supervisors apprise their team of the anticipated issues they will deal with, including the water conditions and levels of sea life near the shore. Then lifeguards report to an assigned tower.
When a lifeguard spots a distressed swimmer, they follow a protocol which includes radioing in the scenario and then reaching the swimmer. A beach patrol truck will be onsite within a few minutes of the radio call with a team of experts ready to assist the lifeguard and the swimmer or swimmers with life saving measures if needed.
Galveston Beach Patrol provides more than water rescue and safety. They are also
first responders for any type of hazard that might happen on the beach such as something as simple as a jelly fish bite to a person in cardiac arrest.
Crowd control and enforcement of rules are part of the duties of the beach patrol. Some of the team members are certified EMT’s and others are state licensed police officers. The Beach Patrol partners with other Galveston County first responders to provide a full array of emergency services to beachgoers.
The towers will come down and lifeguard service will be gone in October, but don’t expect the Beach Patrol to go on vacation. Some of the team members are only seasonal, but there is a full-time, year-round staff that keeps the beach patrolled 24 hours a day every day of the year.
Captain Pryor works year-round and has been with the Galveston Beach Patrol for 23 years. His favorite time of the year is when the lifeguards return. “I really enjoy seeing the returning lifeguards and the new recruits come together at the beginning of the season,” said Pryor.
