a united states lifesaving association publication...jennifer velasquez, torrance, ca...

S U M M E R 2 0 0 8

Vol. 25 No. 2

A U n i t e d S t a t e s L i f e s a v i n g A s s o c i a t i o n P u b l i c a t i o n

2 AMERICAN LIFEGUARD MAGAZINE, SUMMER 2008

USLA O F F I C E R S

USLA Executive BoardPresident

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

Vice-President

Kevin Sweat, Volusia Co., [email protected]

Treasurer

Rob Williams, Newport Beach, CA [email protected]

Secretary

Nikki Bowie, Charleston, SC [email protected]

Executive Delegate

Chris Graham, Costa Mesa, [email protected]

International Liaison

Peter Davis, Galveston, TX [email protected]

Advisor

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

Medical Advisor

Dr. Peter Werniki, Vero Beach, [email protected]

Legal Advisor

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

American Lifeguard Magazine StaffPublisher/Editor

Mike Bartlett, Huntington Beach, [email protected]

Assistant Editors

Charlie Hartl, Avon-by-the-Sea, NJMichael A. Beuerlein,

Huntington Beach, CA

Staff Writers

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

US Public Health ServiceRick Gould, Santa Clarita, CAPhil Rogers, Mid-AtlanticPeter Davis, Galveston, TX

Junior Jam Editor

Jon Mitchell, [email protected]

Membership Liaison

Charlie Hartl, Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ [email protected]

Design/Typesetting

Jennifer Velasquez, Torrance, [email protected]

Staff Photographers

Jo Wagenhhals, SoutheastAndrew Healey, Point Lookout, NYMike Bartlett, Huntington Beach, CABob Moore, Redondo Beach, CA

USLA Regional PresidentsNew England

Rian [email protected]

Mid-Atlantic

Ed [email protected]

South Atlantic

Tom [email protected]

Southeast

Joe [email protected]

Great Lakes

Joe [email protected]

Gulf Coast

Tony [email protected]

Pacific Northwest

Cathy [email protected]

Southwest (CSLSA)

Rob [email protected]

Pacific Islands

Ralph [email protected]

AMERICAN LIFEGUARD MAGAZINE, SUMMER 2008 3

Bylaws and Policies

John “Chip” [email protected]

Certification

Eric [email protected]

Competition

Ed [email protected]

Equipment Research

Dave [email protected]

Grant Solicitation

James [email protected]

Heroic Acts Awards

Adrianne [email protected]

International

Peter [email protected]

Junior Lifeguards

Reenie [email protected]

Magazine

Mike [email protected]

Membership

Charlie [email protected]

Public Education


Public Information and

Media Relations

Tom [email protected]

Sign Standards

Ralph [email protected]

Statistics

Rick [email protected]

Ways & Means


Website

Charlie [email protected]

USLA Special Assignments

I N T H I S I S S U E

United States Lifesaving Association Mission Statement

www.usla.org866-FOR-USLA (367-8752)

We are America’s nonprofit, professional association of beach life-guards and open water rescuers. USLA works to reduce the incidence ofdeath and injury in the aquatic environment through public education,national lifeguard standards, training programs, promotion of high levelsof lifeguard readiness, and other means. All correspondence other thanfor the magazine should be sent to: USLA Corporate Office, P.O. Box 366,Huntington Beach, CA 92648 or [email protected].

American Lifeguard MagazineAmerican Lifeguard Magazine is published and distributed to every

paid member of the USLA as a provision of their membership. If youwish to publish an article or submit a letter to the editor, address all sub-missions to: American Lifeguard Magazine, 15481 Cottonwood Circle,Huntington Beach, CA, 92647, or [email protected]. Entire contents protect-ed by the USLA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form byany means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise - with-out the prior consent of ALM. Unsolicited materials, including all photo-graphs, are submitted at the sender’s risk and ALM accepts no responsi-bility. The opinions expressed are strictly those of the contributors anddo not necessarily reflect the views of ALM or the USLA.

ALM Advertising Information The USLA manages the American Lifeguard Magazine and publish-

es it tri-annually with a Summer Issue (July 1), Winter Issue (Nov. 1), anda Spring Issue (Feb. 1). The 36 page publication is mailed directly to its14,000 members comprised of ocean lifeguards, administrators, juniorguards, competitors and alumni. The American Lifeguard Magazineserves to inform USLA members on a variety of public safety topicsranging from training and educational programs to innovative products,practices and services. More importantly, it is the only national maga-zine to target beach lifeguards and open water rescuers. The rates are:

Advertisement Size One Issue Three Issues Savings

Quarter page $175 $480 ($160 each) $45

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Contact the Publisher/Editor, Michael S. Bartlett at (714) 345-5792,or email at [email protected] for questions or space reservations.

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


Cover Shot: Lifeguard Chris O'Connor from LongBeach, NY completes a run-swim-run event at aprevious USLA National Championship.

IN THIS ISSUE

President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Vigilance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Brevard must add year-round lifeguards right away, group says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Fiji Time: Lifeguards Lend Hand in Water Safety . . . .9

Hawaiians Host USLA National Conference in Kauai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

The Pacific Northwest Regional Lifeguard Championship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Tragedy Spawns Heros: The Making of the Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Gary Fortune Captures '07 Surftech Jay MoriartyMemorial Paddleboard Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Long Beach, CA Lifeguards Volunteer and Create aNew Lifeguard Service in Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

"If you have a chance to help others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on this earth." Roberto Clemente . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Palm Beach Lifeguards Awarded for Off-duty Heroics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Lifeguard Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G EB. Chris Brewster, San Diego, CA

In the end, it’s all about drown-ing prevention. That’s what you’redoing every day on the beach.That’s what we all do when weengage in public education. That’swhy we work with the media. All ofthis to inform, to educate, and if allelse fails, to rescue.

But what if there are no life-guards? Who informs, who edu-cates, who rescues? Well, maybe noone, and that’s a big problem. USLAstatistics consistently demonstratethat the chance of drowning deathin an area protected by USLA affili-ated lifeguards is one in 18 million.Elsewhere? Not so good.

Take Brevard County, Florida. Asmall handful of lifeguards have, formany years, patrolled this vast coun-ty’s shoreline. Not surprisingly,drowning deaths have been com-mon. Last year, there were 10. Andsome of the victims have beenwould-be rescuers, doing their bestto help others in the absence of life-guards. Sad? Yes. Unacceptable?Yes. So what to do?

USLA’s Southeast RegionPresident Joe McManus, working inadjacent Indian River County, knewhe couldn’t just stand by. Heengaged his own region and got thego-ahead to take the point on thisissue. He enlisted the help of an ex-lifeguard from LA County, JerryStorrs, who lives in the area andwanted to see a change. And I hadthe privilege of helping a little bit.

The media was tuned into this

issue, which helped. Local leadersstarted off suggesting that the situa-tion was normal, drownings happen.Joe was repeatedly quoted as say-ing just the opposite; that this isn’tnormal; that prudent leaders provideappropriate layers of safety protec-tion and most drowning deaths arepreventable. The media perked up,writing story after story, and as aresult, so did local political leaders.

Some of you may be familiarwith the five stages of grief: denial,anger, bargaining, depression, andacceptance. In my experience, politi-cal leaders sometimes go throughsimilar stages when concerns areraised that they are not attentive tocritical issues, and that is what hashappened here. There has beendenial and anger, certainly. We’vegot the emails and newspaper arti-cles to prove it. But moving throughto acceptance and, most importantly,

action, is a little tougher.Joe and Jerry compiled a fantas-

tic report on the matter, with histori-cal facts and recommendations. Icontributed mostly by lending amodel report I’d developed in anoth-er similar campaign and by givingsome limited editorial advice. It waspublished in early March. You canfind a copy in the Lifeguard Libraryon www.usla.org. Be forewarned.It’s 97 pages long.

Joe conducted a news confer-ence to announce the publishing ofthe report. The media devoured it.Then came several news stories, andeditorial coverage demanding actionby local leaders. What of their reac-tion? Well, hopefully by the time youread this, there will be a plan inplace that will greatly expand thelevel of lifeguard protection inBrevard County. If so, credit is duelocal officials there for doing theright thing. If not, there will certainlybe no more excuses for them.

In any case, untold millions ofresidents and visitors to BrevardCounty will unknowingly owe a debtof gratitude to Joe, Jerry, and theSoutheast Region. That’s our mission,drowning prevention, any way wecan get it done.

As always, a reminder: We vol-unteer our time for you, for lifesav-ing. But we have to keep the lightson. We need your membership tosupport the USLA and help ensurethat initiatives like this one continueto be our hallmark.



V I G I L A N C EEric Bauer, Newport Beach, CA

It was my first summer asa lifeguard boat operator inNewport Beach. A job I haddreamed of doing for years,as I had grown up aroundboats and loved the ocean,lifeguarding and power boats.My deckhand and I went intoservice (10-8) at 10:30 a.m.on the Corona Del Mar(CDM) Boat, a little Skipjack20 with a single outdrive. It was pretty fast but poundedin chop. 5343’s patrol area was mainly CDM but couldpatrol as far as the Balboa Pier and South to the Citylimits which was Cameo Shores adjacent to the StateBeach, at the Horse Ranch. The area also included theWedge, the world famous body surfing spot with thebiggest waves I had ever guarded or ridden.

My deckhand that day was Brian Lippold, who was-n’t one of the regular Sea Watch Crew deckhands, (TheNewport beach Lifeguard Boats are named Sea Watchand have operated since the early 50’s), but had life-guarded for longer than I had and was experienced inbig surf. Brian was a blonde stocky athletic man whowas quite a character.

We drove out the entrance channel toward ourpatrol area and reaching the end of the jetties, acceler-ated to cruising speed, it was glassy and overcast butthe surf was about 6-8 ft. which makes about 10-12 ftfaces at the Wedge and a wicked shorebreak. We wentby the wedge and saw that the tower was open, a fewpeople on the beach and proceeded up to G Streetwhere we turned around to go back to our primarypatrol area which was Main Beach CDM. I backed theskipjack up to the swim lines and tied off. I killed theengine, and we began watching the water. There was abeach unit and 2 towers open at CDM, the surf was notparticularly big there. Almost as soon as we sat down,the radio went on announcing unknown trouble at the“Wedge”. I fired up the engine as Brian cast off of theswim lines and we proceeded at almost full speed to theWedge. You cannot see the wedge from CDM becauseof the entrance channel jetties, so until you round therocks, the call is a mystery. This makes for a couple oftense moments until you see what is going on. As soonas I rounded the West Jetty, I could see a crowd on thebeach on the waterline (I could see a lot better then as I

was a lot younger.) It appearedthat the tower guard was kneelingover a patient; this was definitelynot a good sign. I requested themedics just for insurance. Wecould always cancel them if it wasnothing.

I had pushed the throttle han-dle down a little harder to see if Icould get a little more speed andover the noise of the engine, I told

Brian, who was standing next to me hanging on, to getready. Brian was experienced enough to know that hewas going to do what we call a high speed bail out. Heclambered back to the stern with his duck feet on andbuoy in his hand and hopped up on the engine compart-ment perched like a cat hanging on with all fours. Theboat was pounding and heaving going about 35kts.There were no railings on that boat to hang on to,and no doorway; he would just have to bail over thegunwale to hit the water. Most deckhands stayed on thefloor to do this maneuver, but somehow Brian knew thegravity of the situation and remained balanced on top ofthe engine compartment. To this day I don’t know howBrian wasn’t thrown to the deck or gunwale and hurt.Ichecked for waves and maneuvered the boat as close asI could to the beach whipped a port turn and yelled go.The transom swung around at about 40mph and out ofthe corner of my eye I could see Brian flying through theair and then hit the water, I don’t even think he took astroke and stood up on the steep beach and ran to assistthe guard who I could now see was performing CPR witha big crowd watching. I confirmed medics were en-routeand requested more backup. I was way inside now atthe Wedge and focused my attention on moving the boatoutside, if I were to get caught inside there, the wavewould probably pick the boat up and cast it on thebeach upside down, with me underneath it. There wereno beach units there yet with O2 and other equipment.At this point, without a deckhand all I could do is pro-vide information to the incoming units.

After about a minute the first lifeguard jeep arrivedand began further assistance to the tower guard and mydeckhand Brian. Another lifeguard unit arrived about 30seconds later.

All of a sudden, one of the unit guards stood up and

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started pointing toward the westout in the water, toward a placecalled Cylinders, which is justwest of the wedge which has asmaller right but is a nastyshore-break wave. I think it wasa guard by the name of DougPrichard who I had worked withwhen I was a tower guard inBalboa (Division 2). He startedrunning down the beach toward me pointing andyelling, some of the crowd started yelling too.I canremember the fear like it was yesterday. I could not seewhat they were pointing at. I idled the boat further westand a swell passed and then I could see that on theback side of the swell was the body of a little girl float-ing face down. We had a second victim. She wasbetween my boat and the beach about 20 yards fromthe beach, about 5 yards off my starboard bow.

Many things go through your mind immediately,Should I grab her? Get the boat hook? Jump in thewater? What do I do if I get her? I am by myself withno deckhand, impossible to treat her and run the boat.There was a total feeling of helplessness, an excruciat-ing moment of decision. I waved Doug out to get herwhich seemed like an eternity. I requested anothermedic unit and told station 53 (Newport Lifeguard’sStation designation) that we had a second victim. CPRwas being performed on both girls now and I sat watch-ing, helplessly.

Soon our other boats showed up and speed droppedtheir deckhands, more lifeguard units, Lifeguard Lt’smedics and fire engine companies, police, it was nowchaos on what had started as a pretty quiet day.

After the call was over, Brian and I went back topatrol. We were pretty shaken, but able to continuewatching the water. We didn’t say a lot to each other,but I know we had both been affected. Lifeguardsalways question their actions as did I, should I havegrabbed her? Would I have noticed the girls if I hadstayed longer at the wedge and cylinders? What was thetower guard doing, was he being vigilant? It was frustrat-ing and I had a strong feeling self doubt. I have thoughtabout this call many times over my 30 year career.

I think they had a debriefing because of the scopeand intensity of the incident, Brian and I, I believe, wereinadvertently left off the list and did not participate inthe debriefing, I think this debriefing was a precursor toCritical Incident Stress Debriefing, or CISD. It is veryimportant to provide your employees with CISD after

these kinds of incidents. Brianand I didn’t really care that wehadn’t been included, we justdealt with it.

This was a day early in mycareer that formed some of thehabits that enabled me to be asuccessful lifeguard, I spottedand made rescues from theboats, jeeps and our headquar-

ters for many years after that. I learned early howimportant it was to remain constantly vigilant. As a life-guard administrator it also shaped my decision makingto maximize the number of people watching the water,maximize patrol personnel. I realized that people in thefield watching the water is the most important thing andanything that distracts those people from doing that jobcan have dire consequences. I had a Hall of Famewater polo coach named Tom Hermstad who believed inthe fundamentals, the basics and taught me that when Iplayed for him. This philosophy carried into my life-guarding. Simply, a lifeguard’s job is to watch thewater and respond quickly to those in need in the water.Everything lifeguards and lifeguard administrators do,must relate back to that. Having the right equipment,buoys, fins, binoculars, towers for environmental protec-tion of the guards so they do not become fatigued,appropriate relief to insure a lifeguard is alert. Lifeguardtowers placed close enough together for overlap andstaffed enough hours to be effective to reduce thechance of missing someone in distress, appropriateback up and communications. I could go on and on.Just remember that watching the water takes propertechnique and concentration, but that’s what we arepaid for. Do it well. Perhaps your actions will preventthe death of those similar to that of those 6 year old and4 year old sisters, Shamera and Shalleen Carter whohad been left alone momentarily by their Aunt. While Ihave thought about this incident many times since then, Ireally feel for the Aunt, who like her nieces, probablynever recovered from the tragic accident on that day,Saturday, August 29th 1981.

Editor's Note: Eric Bauer is a Lifeguard BattalionChief for the City of Newport Beach Fire DepartmentLifeguard Operations Division and Certification Chairfor the United States Lifesaving Association

Doug Prichard is the City Manager for the City ofRolling Hills Estates.

Brian Lippold became an Attorney and succumbedto cancer a few years ago

VIGILANCE from page 6

COCOA BEACH - Brevard County should immediatelystaff its 13 lifeguard towers year-round, seven days aweek before someone else drowns, a national group forlifeguards said Monday.

The United States Lifesaving Association, a nonprofitprofessional group for lifeguards and others, launched aninvestigation into Brevard's beaches after a record 10people died swimming off the Space Coast last year.

The deaths prompted a public outcry and a study bythe lifeguard group, which will call for more protection onthe beach in a report expected to be released today.

Enough Brevard County lifeguards?Currently, Brevard has two year-round lifeguard man-

agers and about 100 part-time guards working during thepeak season from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but thebeaches are essentially unguarded the rest of the year.

Joe McManus, regional president of the lifeguardassociation, said Brevard needs to find money to hireenough guards to have all 13 towers spanning 50 milesof beaches staffed all year. (Two additional Brevard tow-ers, at Cape Canaveral's Jetty Park, are not managed bythe county.)

The county also needs to add another 27 towers andenough lifeguards to man them during the peak season,McManus said.

If Brevard fails to act, "the alternative is continueddeath," he said.

McManus's group did not say how many people areneeded or how much it would cost to bring Brevard up tohis group's standards. But the group's report will suggestways the county could find the money to help pay for theproposed expansion.

Funding could come from a combination of county,city and private dollars; increased parking fees chargedby some coastal cities; property taxes and hotel-bedtaxes, according to McManus.

Several high-level Brevard County officials couldn't bereached for comment Monday.

Brad Hall, who oversees the lifeguard program for theBrevard County Fire Rescue, said he welcomed the infor-mation from the group and said the County Commissionwould have to help with funding to put more lifeguards onthe beach.

Last year, county officials, including Hall, insistedbeach protection was adequate, instead blaming swim-mers for venturing into unguarded areas and labeling2007 as "just a bad year."

But now Hall is proposing a plan that recommends

beefing up the two-man, year-round force and addingthree towers -- a marked change from the department'spast stance.

He said politics was possibly behind the new sugges-tions for more lifeguards in Brevard, which spends about$433,130 on protecting the beach.

In neighboring Volusia, officials spend nearly $7 mil-lion annually and they have 74 full-time, year-round life-guards, 225 part-timers, 100 towers and 47 miles ofbeach.

Hall acknowledged that the department had neverasked Brevard County for more money for the programsince taking it over from the now-defunct Department ofPublic Safety several years ago but couldn't explain why.

In 1988, a local county task force recommended hir-ing a year-round lifeguard staff but nothing ever hap-pened, said McManus. Another local recommendation in2001 to hire five year-round guards by 2004-2005 alsonever materialized.

"Brevard County officials have said over and over thattourists are making irresponsible decisions by choosing toswim where there are no lifeguards," McManus said. "Buttourists are being solicited by the [Space Coast Office ofTourism] to come and enjoy the water year-round."

For instance, an official Internet Web site for the cityof Cocoa Beach notes the lack of guards during theseven-month period but says the "ocean still can beenjoyed" if people never swim alone, stay on the beachduring rough surf and swim parallel to the shore if caughtin a rip current.

The site also offers this tip: "If you need help, face theshore and wave your arms -- usually someone is nearbywith a surfboard."

That reliance on surfers and Good Samaritans is whatnearly cost Monika Aranha of Orlando her life.

She and her husband jumped into the water lastMemorial Day to save two boys struggling in a fierce ripcurrent.

Afterward, she led the campaign to change this"pathetic attitude" and make the beaches safer, contact-ing McManus and the media.

"It is inconceivable to me that a country as rich anddeveloped a the United States can allow such gross mis-management of funds and disregard for human life,"Aranha said Monday. "Less than one percent of theBrevard fire department's budget [is] allocated to life-guards on a beach that is advertised to 50-plus millionpeople."


B R E VA R D M U S T A D D Y E A R - R O U N D L I F E G U A R D SR I G H T AWAY, G R O U P S AY S

Laurin Sellers, Sentinel Staff Writer, Reprinted with permission


FIJI TIME: LIFEGUARDS LEND HAND IN WATER SAFETYLinda Reuter, Huntington Beach, CA

Bula! Bula is the traditional Fijian greeting whichmeans hello. Bula also means life and is a wishing ofhealth and wellness. Bula is used in the same fashion asAloha in that it has different meanings and usages to theHawaiian people. Fiji is located in the South Pacific500 miles northeast of New Zealand. The island ofTavarua is a 30 minute boat ride off the coast fromNadi. The island is 29 acres with a helipad, no cars orroads and the only phone is in the office. Tavarua isknown for the best swimming pool on the planet not tomention two of the best surf breaks in the world.

In March 2008 Huntington Beach Marine SafetyOfficers Steve Reuter and Claude Panis were invited byTavarua Management to instruct a 44 hour Lifeguardingskills class. The class was tailored to meet the needs ofthe highly skilled Fijian boatmen on Tavarua and its sis-ter island Namotu. The Hawaiian Lifeguards precededReuter and Panis who years earlier taught and laid thegroundwork for CPR instruction. Reuter and Panis stillhad many obstacles to hurdle. A language barrier, vary-ing educational levels, health and fitness issues, cultural

learning styles as well as weather concerns did not deterReuter and Panis in their quest. Working together theyput there heads down and began the class in a torren-tial downpour with periods of sideways rain that lastedfor two days.

With many eager participants, the class began witha 500 meter ocean swim to determine who would enterthe rigorous training program. Ten students were select-ed to participate in this educational program seven fromTavarua and two from Namotu.

Each day began at 7 am with a swim regardless ofweather. Stroke work was the focal point early in thetraining as most of the students had no formal swimtraining at all. The instructors and students alike weresurprised to see the rapid improvement in the teamsswimming ability and were pleased with their strong ath-letic skill.

After the swim and breakfast it was time to hit theclassroom. With much diligence and only a week totrain the class powered through CPR, AED and First Aid.The class eagerly participated in the return demonstra-tions of each lesson. The students especially enjoyed thereal life scenarios which made practicing their new skillsfun and applicable to island life. Interestingly enoughthe Ocean Force Huntington Beach OC series that wasplayed each morning strongly supported the days class-room activities with real life situations. After lunch it wasback to the classroom and then back out to the beach.

The ponga is a different animal than the state of theart 30 ft. rescue boat Reuter and Panis operate at home.The Huntington Beach Lifeguards taught their students

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how to improve performance through expert handling ofthe ponga using IRB techniques. Some of the exercisesincluded approaching a victim with the ponga, boatsafety skills such as swimming a disabled boat out of thesurf line, and abandon ship drills as well.

The Fijian people known for their hospitality are alsogood natured with a wonderful sense of humor. Theirplayfulness and interest in life was clear everyday wespent with them. During their swim workouts if the tidewas low enough some were seen laughing and runningacross the reef to try to take the lead in the race remind-ing us we were on Fiji time.

After a grueling week of hard work the Fijian boat-men had lifted their skills to a new level of expertise.Besides the obvious skill set that had been exchangedbetween the two groups something even more valuablehad been gained. A sense of family and friendship hadbeen forged that week. The relationship has trulytouched all of our hearts and will remain in our memo-ries forever.

Bula Vinaka Vaka Levu

FIJI TIME from page 9

2008 NATIONAL DORYMAN'S SCHEDULE1. May 31st, Saturday, Hobie Classic Dory, 4-mile distance race, Doheny - 0800

2. June 13th, Friday, San-O Classic, 3-mile distance & Dory Surf Contest, BBQ

3. June 21st, Saturday, Ed Perry Regatta, Venice, 3-lap race surf race x2

4. June 28th, Saturday, South Bay Dozen, Torrance, 3-lap race surf race x2

5. July 5th, Saturday, Santa Monica, 1-mile sprint & 3-lap surf race

6. July 12th, Saturday, Hennessey’s US Paddleboard Championships, Hermosa 3-lap surf race x2

7. July 13th, Sunday, Mike Knight Lifeguard Comp., San Diego – S. Mission Bay

8. July 19th, Saturday, San Clemente Oceanfest, 3-Lap race surf race x2

9. July 26th, Saturday, CSLSA Regionals, Seal Beach, 3-lap surf race

10. August 2nd, Saturday Evening, Taplin

11. August 3rd, Sunday, Surf Festival - Hermosa, 3-lap surf race & Doryman's relay

12. August 7th – 9th, USLA Nationals – LACO, Manhattan Beach

13. September 14th, Sunday, The Great Catalina Dory Race 24.5 miles, Isthmus to San Pedro Harbor - Cabrillo Beach

Dorymen, all races will have an early start this year so we can get some of the guys to work on-time. Looking forward to another great season of dory racing! Any questions or comments please give me a call (949) 795-0075 or e-mail at [email protected]

Sincerely, Dick DeBoer, NDA President, Doheny State Beach Lifeguards


HAWAIIANS HOST USLA NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN KAUAIMonty Downs, Kaui, HI

Kaua‘i had the honor this last weekof hosting the bi-annual meeting of theUnited States Lifeguard Association.

All the top officials of this associa-tion attended — people such asPresident Chris Brewster, the regionalpresidents, as well as medical officersand consultants. These are the men andwomen who have literally written thetextbook on lifeguarding — and a near-perfect textbook it is.

There were also quite a few work-ing lifeguards from around the countrywho took the opportunity to attend themeeting and visit Kaua‘i, as well asequipment vendors who provided keysponsorships.

I do have a day job, and therewas much of the meeting that I wasn’table to attend, but I’ll briefly mention a

few of my highlights. First, simply being around these

individuals from all over the U.S. wasan inspiration and learning experience.In the Northeast, for example, lifeguardsonly cover the beaches from MemorialDay to Labor Day. The rest of the yearthey have other means of employment,some within their county’s government,some in private businesses. But they love

and live for the time of year whenthey’re on the beach lifeguarding.

It was fun to feel that enthusiasm, asMemorial Day isn’t that far away andyou could see they were chomping onthe bit to get to their beloved work.

The California lifeguards are full-timeand have been pioneers in many unusualtechniques, including using lifeguardpatrol boats, fighting boat and ship fires,and rappelling down shoreside cliffs forbeach and cliff rescues at some of thevery remote Big Sur beaches.

We heard a definitive and veryinteresting lecture on the latest CPR rec-ommendations by Dr. Paul Pepe, one ofthe main researchers in this field. He’s acollege professor and one of his sidejobs is being the CPR consultant for the

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Opening Blessing - Kahaunaele-Ferreira


White House staff. Bottom line: Goodchest compressions with good release at100 repetitions per minute, thus mini-mizing interruptions for heart rhythmanalysis or breaths, are absolutely criti-cal for the victim’s chance of survival.And all the fancy defibrillators in theworld are ineffective unless the “pump isprimed” with the blood perfusion thataccompanies these good compressions.

Peter Davis gave a remarkable talkabout drowning worldwide. He notedthat in the U.S. there are 1.25 drown-ings per 100,000 population, a total of3,000 drownings per year. Worldwidethere are more than 250,000 drown-ings per year at a rate of five per100,000 (this does not include naturalor marine disasters such as ferries over-turning).

In developing countries the rate isaround 10 drownings per 100,000. Iwas shocked to be told that in manydeveloping countries drowning is theNo. 1 cause of death in childrenbetween 1 and 5 years of age.Worldwide, only 2 percent of drowningsoccur in recreational environments; theother 98 percent happen simply in theenvironment of daily living conditions.

Here on Kaua‘i our average ofnine drownings a year in a populationof 65,000 makes our rate per 100,000

people almost 14 — nearly one and ahalf times as high as other developingcountries. O‘ahu has a rate of aroundfour per 100,000, Maui about three,and statewide our rate is around fiveper 100,000.

I had to think about all these num-bers for a while. Let’s assume, for exam-ple, that New York City has 10 millionpeople. If they drowned at the rate of1.25 per 100,000 (our national aver-

LIFEGUARD CONFERENCE ON KAUA‘I from page 12

to page 18...

Peter and Joanne Wernikicelebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversarywith a rededication ceremony with many of

the conference attendees

Sheraton Kauai Resort, Koloa, HI

age), there would be 125 drown-ings there per year. If theydrowned at Kaua‘i’s rate, therewould be 1,400 drownings thereper year — and that numberwould definitely cause a stir inpublic health circles.

To put these numbers inanother perspective, the U.S.death rate from heart attack inpeople over 35 is around 150per 100,000.

A big part of what makes ourdrowning rate so high is Hawai‘i’sgeology.

We live on a 900-square-mile tip of a volcano that rises straight up out of an 18,000-foot-deep seabed with no continental shelf to blunt the stormeffects from a massive surrounding ocean. Not to mention wehave 52 miles of white, sandy beach of Kaua‘i’s 110-mileperimeter. A significant difference between us and O‘ahu, ofcourse, is that O‘ahu has a much bigger tax base and, corre-spondingly, a much larger number of guarded beaches.Maui, too, has more guarded beaches as well as signifi-cantly calmer beach conditions than Kaua‘i.

All these worldwide numbers are only recently startingto be understood. Our U.S. solutions don’t really apply todeveloping countries. These countries don’t need more life-guards, since virtually all of the drownings occur within 100yards of the homes, many in low-lying areas such as inBengladesh or near rivers, canals or ditches. The main solu-tion in these circumstances would appear to be learn-to-swim child proofing. The United States LifeguardAssociation is only now in the rudimentary phase of part-

nering with agencies such as theWorld Health Organization in com-ing to grips with these numbers.

As for our Kaua‘i numbers,maybe our tough natural conditionswon’t ever permit the lower ratewe’re striving for, but I won’tbelieve it until we feel satisfied thatwe’ve done all we can.

At the meeting, Kaua‘i speak-ers were given the opportunity topresent a picture of how things arehere — the challenges we face andthe solutions we’ve been workingon (more lifeguards, more and bet-ter education/prevention measures).

Our panel of six was headed by Kalani Vierra, Kaua‘i’socean safety supervisor.

Then came Kaua‘i Vistors Bureau Executive Director SueKanoho, who described how her pioneering bureau includesa “please be careful” message into its welcome agenda.Geologist and statistician Chuck Blay provided some stunning



Ralph Goto and Danny Jerome, MSDanny spoke on his Master Thesis:

“An Examination of the Utility of ACLS Protocols with theHuntington Beach Marine Safety Department”

Ralph Goto and Dr. Paul E. Pepe, MDDr. Pepe spoke on:

“Evolution and Revolution of CPR – Back to Basics”

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The lifeguards competing in the regional championship stand on the sidelines of the 'beachflags' competition Tuesday afternoon. (July 24th)

A body board lays on the sand in between thewomen's and men's 'ironman' competition Tuesday

(July 24the) afternoon at Sand Harbor.

A lifeguard from the Redwood Coast team runsthrough the water at Sand Harbor during the swim

portion of the 'Ironman' competition Tuesday (July 24th) afternoon.

Alex Milan of the East Bay Regional Parks team gets the first flag during the beginning

rounds of the 'beach flags' competition.

Brandon Ment of the Redwood Coast team beatsour his competitors during the first rounds of the

'beach flags' competition.

The women of the Regional Lifeguard competitionhead our for the first leg of the 'Ironman' event, which

includes rowing their Ski Skate around a series offlags several hundreds of yards out in the water.

Anthony Schriver of East Bay Regional Parks divesfor a flag while Brandom Ment of Redwood Coast

and Filip Nowak of East Bay Regional Parks battleit out for the last flag. Schriver defended his championship in the 'Beach Flags" event with

another win, making him a seven-time champion.

In the third to last round of the 'beach flags' event at Sand Harbor, four competitors give

their all for the remaining three flags.

Four women competitors dive for the remainingthree flags in the early rounds of the 'beach flags'

event Tuesday afternoon.

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGIONAL LIFEGUARD CHAMPIONSHIP TOOK PLACE ON JULY 24-25 2007 FOR THE FOURTH YEAR, AT SAND HARBOR IN LAKE TAHOE.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARRIE RICHARDS, LAKE TAHOE, CA


(not shown)


maps and graphs, and aquatics expert and long-time commu-nity advocate Pat Durkin gave an outline of our leader-of-the-pack WAVE project. Kauaiexplorer.com’s Winston Welbornpresented his outstanding informational and safety-orientedWeb site, and I briefly tied this all together. I was told we alldid a good job.

Our biggest challenge remains our large number ofunguarded beaches, both remote and resort-fronting. This wasbrought home to us as we finished our Friday morning presen-tation only to hear the wail of sirens pulling up to the resort. A30-year-old guest was critically injured playing in the surf dur-ing that day’s mild south swell, right as we were discussingour Kaua‘i ocean safety challenge.

I believe the meeting’s location here on Kaua‘i broughtrecognition of the hard work we have done to address andimprove our ocean safety program, and it was a call to armsto dig deeper and get better.

We still have the highest drowning rate in the state, inthe U.S., and — it turns out — in the world. Unguardedbeaches, both quiet, remote ones and busy, resort-frontingones: Look out! We’re zeroing in on you, with education, res-cue tubes, kiosks showing beach information and lobbyingefforts to get you guarded. We have to.

Drowning Prevention Discussion Panel “DrowningPrevention Efforts on Kauai”

Left to Right in Photo:Ralph Goto, President of the Pacific Islands Region of USLA

Dr. Monte Downs, MD, emergency Room Physician, Lihue KauaiWinston Wellborn, kauaiexplorer.com

Sue Kanoho, Kauai Visitors BureaPat Durkin, Water Safety Consultant

Chuck Blay, Ph.D., TEDK InvestigationsKalani Vierra, Lifeguard Supervisor, Kauai FD

(missing due to rescue)



TRAGEDY SPAWNS HEROES: THE MAKING OF THE COASTGUARD HELICOPTER RESCUE SWIMMER PROGRAM

Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Evanson, Fifth District Public Affairs

25 years ago, a tragic event claimed the lives of 31Merchant Marines, and the Coast Guard Helicopter RescueSwimmer Program was conceived to prevent such disastersfrom ever happening again. The program has been aguardian angel to many fates nearly taken by the sea.

On the morning of Feb. 12, 1983, gale force winds and40-foot waves wreaked havoc off the coast of the smallEastern Shore community of Chincoteague, Va. Conditionswere the perfect recipe for disaster, a recipe that eventuallyclaimed the lives of 31 mariners by day's end. This tragicevent proved to be more catastrophic because the CoastGuard was not prepared to respond. The sad conclusion ofthe S.S. Marine Electric served as a humbling blow to CoastGuard readiness, and the motto of Semper Paratus. The sacri-fice of these mariners, however, indirectly saved the lives ofthousands of men and women who would confront the mercyof the sea in the years to follow. The doom of the MarineElectric spawned the Coast Guard Helicopter RescueSwimmer Program, and a new generation of lifesavers at sea.

Tragedy at SeaThe S.S. Marine Electric, a 587-foot motor vessel trans-

porting coal departed Norfolk, Va., for Brayton Point, Mass.,on Feb. 10, 1983. Thirty-four merchant mariners were aboardas a winter storm pummeled the lower Chesapeake Bay.

If four-foot seas within the bay were harsh, the seasawaiting the Marine Electric in the open ocean were in excessof 40 feet.

On Feb. 12, 1983, at approximately 2:51 a.m., a CoastGuard watch stander in Ocean City, Md., was notified by themaster of the Marine Electric, reporting his vessel was takingon water near the front end of the ship. By 3 a.m., the entirecrew was mustered on deck near the starboard lifeboatspreparing to abandon ship. At a quarter after 4 a.m., as themerchant mariners were preparing the lifeboats, the ship wasstruck by a powerful jolt, possibly a rogue wave, capsizingthe vessel to the starboard side. The Marine Electric crew wasthrown into the frigid Mid-Atlantic waters recorded at 37

degrees Fahrenheit approximately 30-miles off the coast ofChincoteague. What was an initial distress call now becamea massive search and rescue case, but the following eventsproved far more difficult than ever imagined.

At the time, Coast Guard flight crews did not have theability or power to deploy rescue swimmers in the sea torecover victims. As strange as it may seem, a crewmembersimply lowered a rescue basket from the helicopter in thevicinity of a distressed person in the water. The rescue reliedalmost entirely on the victim mustering the strength to get inthe basket on his or her own. In cold temperatures whereshock and hypothermia were prevalent, this practice provedfutile.

When a Coast Guard helicopter crew based at AirStation Elizabeth City, N.C., arrived on-scene shortly after 5a.m., the water was flush with strobe lights, yet little sign oflife existed. Not until 6:05 a.m. was a Navy rescue swimmerable to assist with the recovery. The Navy dispatched a heli-copter crew from Naval Air Station Oceana in VirginiaBeach, Va., which had rescue swimmers trained for searchand rescue. One-by-one with the help of the crew of the 82-foot Coast Guard Cutter Point Highland, the Navy rescueswimmer recovered the bodies of the Marine Electric crewfrom the surface; nearly three hours after the vessel capsized.

Of the 34-crewmembers aboard the Marine Electric, 27people were recovered; only three survived. Seven MarineElectric crewmembers were never found, possibly still aboardthe ship. The deceased were later pronounced dead by med-ical examiners who indicated the cause of death to behypothermia and or drowning. Meanwhile, as the sun rose,the Marine Electric had already begun a slow descent intooblivion, beneath the sea where it lay in perpetuity.

AftermathFollowing this tragedy, the Coast Guard launched one of

the biggest Marine Board of Investigations in its history.Making the case more overwhelming were congressional rep-resentatives seeking to know how such a disaster could hap-pen, and more importantly how can a similar scenario beaverted. After several congressional hearings, the CoastGuard Authorization Act of 1984 was passed to ensure theCoast Guard was properly equipped to respond to suchcases. An excerpt of the act reads, "The Commandant of theCoast Guard shall use such sums as are necessary, fromamounts appropriated for the operational maintenance of theCoast Guard, to establish a helicopter rescue swimmer pro-gram for the purpose of training selected Coast Guard per-sonnel in rescue swimming skills."

Introduction of the Guardian"The Aviation Survival Technician (AST) rating's job which

was created in 1969 has always been to inspect and main-tain life support equipment, perform ground handling and

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This photo depicts the 587-foot S.S. Marine Electric. The vessel sunkthe morning of Feb. 12, 1983, of the coast of Chincoteague, Va.

Thirty-one mariners perished as the vessel capsized during a heavystorm. This incident is considered the catalyst for the Coast Guard

Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Program.


servicing of aircraft, and conduct aviation administrationduties," said Master Chief Petty Officer Donald Murray, CoastGuard Aviation Survival Technician Rating Force Manager.

The Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Programwould become an extension of the AST mission objective,beginning very subtly in the fall of 1984, as a result of theMarine Electric tragedy. The Coast Guard joined forces withthe Navy, which permitted prospective Coast Guard helicopterrescue swimmers to train with fellow Navy swimmers at the U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmer School at Naval Air StationPensacola, Fla. The rating initially known as AviationSurvivalman or ASM graduated five members in this first class.

After a few years of training with the Navy, it becameapparent the Coast Guard needed to make modificationsbecause some of the methods taught at the joint serviceschool were not applicable to the Coast Guard search andrescue mission. These methods included scuba, deployingparachutes, tree extraction, and mountain rescue. The CoastGuard's main emphasis is peacetime rescues, not downed mil-itary recovery methods. In addition, the program was notwithout its challenges. The new feature to Coast Guard avia-tion generated hesitation and concern from pilots with deploy-ing swimmers in hazardous conditions.

"When the program first became operational, there wasconsiderable reluctance to deploy rescue swimmers exceptunder generally favorable conditions, but it soon becameapparent, however, that Coast Guard rescue swimmers wouldfrequently be utilized in extreme weather conditions," saidretired Lt. Cmdr. Richard M. Wright, in a 1996 article heauthored titled "Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Program".

Rescue swimmers assigned to Air Station Elizabeth Cityofficially became the first operational unit with helicopter res-cue swimmers March 5, 1985, with air stations throughoutthe country following suit throughout the following years. "TheCoast Guard went fully operational with the rescue swimmerprogram in October of 1991 meaning all AviationSurvivalmen, [first class petty officer] and below stood rescueswimmer duty at every Coast Guard air station across thecountry," said Murray.

Since its inception, the Coast Guard Helicopter RescueSwimmer program has enhanced the Coast Guard search andrescue mission. "The addition of a Rescue Swimmer asset toHelicopter search and rescue teams has had significant

impact on the mission. Hurricane Katrina is our most recentreminder of the value of this asset," said Senior Chief PettyOfficer Lewis Hart, who supervises the Aviation SurvivalTechnician "A" school in Elizabeth City.

In the two-plus decades of the programs existence, severalinnovations in training have allowed rescue swimmers toadapt to unpredictable situations that they often encounter.

"The Rescue Swimmer Program has evolved in a numberof ways but mostly in more advanced gear and training. Thedevelopment of the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School inAstoria, Ore., helps train AST's in advanced techniques suchas vertical surface rescue, sea cave rescue, heavy surf rescue,and swift water rescue," said Hart. In addition, innovations insport science became an objective in training rescue swim-mers. "The AST 'A' School has also developed a Train theTrainer 'C' School that teaches advance fitness and exercisephysiology for training AST airmen and for operational fit-ness," added Hart.

It has been 25 years since 31 souls from the MarineElectric perished. Since this tragedy, it can be said that manylives have been indirectly saved. It is sometimes thoughtragedy that good can be extracted, and the Coast GuardRescue Swimmer has fostered this. Coast Guard Helicopter

Rescue swimmers have saved or assisted countless lives in themost harrowing of circumstances. In Hurricane Katrina, morethan three-thousand lives were saved as the search and rescueoperation unfolded on live television. In addition to survivalskills in extreme elements, rescue swimmers are trained emer-gency medical technicians employing basic skills to victimswhile transporting to medical facilities ashore.

Nevertheless, perhaps the most important thing to remem-ber is that rescue swimmers do not operate alone. It takes anentire flight crew to make saving lives a reality. "Rescue swim-mers are highly visible in search and rescue cases and subse-quently receive a lot of media attention," said Hart. "It wouldbe fair to say that the media reports deemphasize the teamconcept with regard to the rest of the crew in such cases," headded. With lessons learned, the Coast Guard stands by forthe next search and rescue case, always ready.

TRAGEDY SPAWNS HEROS from page 27

FREEPORT, Texas - CoastGuard Petty Officer 3rd ClassPhil Wojtas, a rescue swimmer

at Air Station Houston, ishoisted back into an HH-65C

Dolphin helicopter after conducting freefall deployment

training. When The MarineElectric tragedy happened,

the Coast Guard did not havethe ability to deploy swimmers

into the water. U.S. Coast Guard photo by

Petty Officer 1st Class AdamEggers

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - A daily vigorous workout is normal train-ing for these Aviation Survival Technician students during training at

the Aviation Technical Training Center in Elizabeth City NorthCarolina. Aviation Survival Technicians (AST) along with many other

duties function operationally as Helicopter Rescue Swimmers andEmergency Medical Technicians (EMT) Basic. ASTs may find them-selves being deployed into a myriad of challenging rescues ranging

from hurricanes and cliff rescues, to emergency medical evacuationsfromships at sea. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Telfair H. Brown


GA RY FO RT U N E CA P T U R E S '07 SU R F T E C H JAYMO R I A RT Y ME M O R I A L PA D D L E B O A R D TI T L E

Northwest Staff

Great surfers are great pad-dlers. This age old adage rang trueat the 6th Annual Surftech JayMoriarty Memorial paddleboardrace as professional surfers andpaddlers alike came to Santa Cruzto test their skills on the rigorous 12mile course. The course usuallyassociated with a range of chal-lenges from dense fog to harshocean wind and waves turnedabnormally friendly with sparklingclear sky, light winds and warmwater temperatures...at least bySanta Cruz standards. Even SantaCruz's most temperamental localsea lions seemed unusually friendlybarking halfheartedly while fightingfor sunbathing space on the midrace buoy. Yet regardless of the rel-atively pristine conditions, the racewas no picnic as locals and visitorsput their skills to the test in the frigid, kelp forestedwaters of the Monterey Bay.

Despite local knowledge of everything from kelp bedlocations to potential shortcuts, there was no way tokeep 2006 winner Gary Fortune from claiming the titlefor an impressive fourth year in a row. Taking a stronglead he finished with a time of 1:54:38 followed by fel-low L.A. County paddler Kyle Powers who came in sec-ond. Rounding out the top finishers was Joe Beek one ofSanta Cruz's most recognized paddlers who just missedslipping under the 2 hour mark finishing with a time of2:01:35.

Coming in to help support the women's side of racethis year ROXY upped the ante offering women competi-tors cash prizes. Their involvement and the option tomake some cash prompted an unprecedented number ofwomen competitors to show up from as far away asFlorida. Even with the new competitors, last year's win-ner, Santa Barbara native, Jane Cairns would not besurpassed as she powered ahead of the competitiononce again taking the title and a first place check.Following right on her heals was 18 year old SantaCruz surfer and former Santa Cruz City Jr. Lifeguard,

Savannah Shaughnessy who puther many winters of surfing in theheavy Nor Cal conditions to the testand came in second. Perhaps morethan any other competitor,Savannah truly embodied the spiritof Jay. Relatively inexperiencedfrom a competitive paddlers stand-point, Savannah is dedicated to rid-ing big waves and proved that hertraining for surfing in testing condi-tions crosses over to competitivepaddling, emphasizing how thesport of paddling is an importantfacet of being a true waterman.She was followed by Miami Beachlifeguard Cynthia Aguilar who flewout from the East Coast to finish inthird place.

But the "Jay Race" is not justabout the best testing their mettle.From the men's and women's 2

mile sprints to the super grom 6 year old category,surfers and paddlers of all ages and levels got a chanceto paddle out into the bay. Standup paddleboards, 12',14' and Unlimited paddleboards and little nipperboards (super small kids paddleboards) littered thebeach up for grabs to anyone ready to give them a go.Moms and dads paddled their kids out for the first time,kids dragged their parents out on boards and wives andhusbands got to taste what keeps their significant otherout on the water day after day. With the Santa CruzLifeguards carefully monitoring specially laid out cours-es, the next generation of watermen and waterwomengot some of their first taste of what the ultimate playingfield has in store for them.

With the great turnout this year and the resoundinglypositive response from all the participants, lookout fornext years event to offer even more excitement. Thanksto the Santa Cruz State lifeguards for their support andefforts during the event as well as all the company's andindividuals who donated their time and expertise tomaking this the best Jay Race to date. All proceeds fromthe event will go to the Santa Cruz City & State Jr.Lifeguard programs.


LONG BEACH, CA LIFEGUARDS VOLUNTEER ANDCREATE A NEW LIFEGUARD SERVICE IN ECUADOR

Paul Dunning, Long Beach, CA

John Pearce and I are seasonal veterans serving the LongBeach Lifeguards for 30 years. We have undertaken a newinternational lifesaving venture called Project Ecuador in con-cert with the Long Beach, CA Lifeguard Association. ProjectEcuador is about lifeguarding, volunteerism and job creationin Playas Ecuador.

In August 2006, John Pearce and I went on a surfing tripin Ecuador. While staying in Playas, the hotel owners Victorand Esperanza discovered that we were lifeguards andinformed us of the numerous drownings that occur each yearin this poor beach town. The people of Playas pleaded to usto train their citizens to become lifeguards. We heard themand took immediate action upon our return to the USA.

In late November 2006, we returned to Playas withdonated rescue buoys, fins and uniforms. We trained 23Ecuadoreans: 16 young men and 7 men from Ecuador’s BlackBeret Special Forces. In February 2007, we returned againwith more donated rescue buoys, binoculars, radios and uni-forms for our first “on the job training” during the Carnivalholiday. The beach crowds were estimated at 40,000 andwe had over 28 rescues and no life was lost.

After Carnival 2007, we were concerned that more life-guards would seek out paying jobs. In December 2007,Pearce and I met with Eddie Benton, the EcuadoreanConsulate General in Los Angeles, California. Our goal wasto seek full time wages for the Ecuador lifeguards. TheConsulate General was satisfied with the merit of our mission

and agreed to forward our letter on to the Governor of thestate of Guayas where Playas resides. Shortly thereafter, itwas reported that the Ecuadorean lifeguards were receivingmoney from the Playas Mayors office. The Ecuador State ofGuayas is now supporting of our efforts too. The state paidfor 20 new lifeguard towers and is funding 10 seasonal life-guards. This is over and above the 6 lifeguards being paidby the City of Playas.

For Carnival 2008, nine American lifeguards volunteeredto help. Over 70,000 Ecuadoreans visited this 2.5 milebeach resulting in the most difficult lifeguarding conditions inthe world. The surf generated sets up to 6 feet breakingacross the entire region and the rip currents were often andsevere. Over 60 rescues were documented and 15 rescueswere life threatening events. CPR was administered to onevictim by a new Ecuadorian guard on his second day of workand the victim was revived. Unfortunately, one victim suc-cumbed to the sea after an hour long line search. We wereall saddened by this single event, but this is a very positivestep compared to the reported 14 drownings during Carnival2006.

John and I are proud to report that in just 15 months, ourvision of a sustained lifeguard service in Playas Ecuador isnow a reality. You can help support the Playas lifeguardswith product donations or by volunteering during Carnival2009 and beyond. If you have any product to donate orquestions, please contact me at [email protected].


"IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO HELP OTHERS AND FAIL TO DO SO, YOUARE WASTING YOUR TIME ON THIS EARTH." ROBERTO CLEMENTE

B. Chris Brewster, San Diego, CA

Over the years, USLA representa-tives have made repeated efforts topromote lifesaving in theCommonwealth of Puerto Rico. It hasbeen a daunting challenge spanningdecades. This is an update on themost recent effort to protect thebeachgoers of Puerto Rico.

Many years ago, Sea GrantPuerto Rico coordinated two beachmanagement conferences with thecollaboration of former VolusiaCounty Chief Tom Renick and formerChief Jim Shoemaker, then at JupiterBeach, Florida. Huntington BeachCaptain Bill Richardson, thenPresident of the USLA, also assisted.Despite prodigious efforts in thoseyears, little change was realized. Itwas not for absence of effort, butrather due to the all too familiar lackof local appreciation for the impor-tance of beach safety.

In early 2007, Huntington BeachMarine Safety Officer Steve Reuter,traveling in Puerto Rico, made con-tact with Ruperto Chaparro, Directorof the Sea Grant program. Mr.Chaparro had organized the earlierconferences so many years before.Though he had experienced greatdisappointment, he had never givenup hope of progress. Meanwhile, hehad conducted research which pro-duced data on the scores of peoplewho had since died for lack of pro-

tection. Counting the dead is sober-ing. Steve recommended that Mr.Chaparro write me, as USLAPresident, requesting assistance.

“The Sea Grant College Programof the University of Puerto Rico isvery concerned about recreationaldrownings at the beaches of PuertoRico,” wrote Mr. Chaparro in hisApril 2007 letter. “For the last 15years we have recorded an alarm-ing average of 25 drownings peryear. Even though this is a very seri-ous issue, the government of PuertoRico and those in charge of provid-ing lifeguard services do not consid-er this to be a serious problem. Mostof our beaches lack lifeguard servic-es and the ones that do have them,lack appropriate training, equip-ment, lifeguard certification, job ben-efits and remuneration for the life-guard services ($5.00/hr. and nojob benefits).”

Since the prior visits of USLA offi-cials, Mr. Chaparro explained that a“Puerto Rico Beach Board” hadbeen created and composed of rep-resentatives of agencies with aresponsibility to manage Puerto Ricobeaches. He suggested that, “This isan excellent opportunity to plan aneducational activity where an organ-ization with the credibility and pro-fessional respect of the USLA can

offer advice.”Fortuitously, I had already

planned a trip to the Caribbean witha stopover in Puerto Rico the follow-ing month. Making the most of myshort stay, I met with Mr. Chaparrofor several hours, during which heprovided a short tour of local beach-es and we discussed the issues indetail. Together, we outlined a tenta-tive strategy to address the terribletoll drowning death was taking.

Having had the inspiring oppor-tunity to work with other USLA volun-teers in many different efforts toestablish professional lifeguardagencies in areas where they wereeither weak or absent, I know howchallenging and time consumingthese efforts can be, but the ultimateoutcome of drowning prevention isworth it all. Pensacola and Destin,Florida’s lifeguard programs are justtwo examples of excellent outcomesthat we can all look back on andsay just that.

Once my trip was over, I contact-ed then Southeast Region PresidentJim McCrady, in whose USLA regionPuerto Rico lies. The baton waspassed and Mr. McCrady begancorresponding with Mr. Chaparro.

Mr. McCrady assembled a teamthat included himself, current USLASoutheast Region President JoeMcManus, Southeast Region PublicEducation Director Gio Serrano (aPuerto Rico native), and me. Wejourneyed from fairly near (Florida)and rather far (California). For fivedays in December of 2007, wetoured beaches throughout PuertoRico. Our driver and guide was theindomitable Ruperto Chaparro.

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Many assume that “consultants”are invariably highly compensated.In my experience, lifesaving consult-ants usually do their work for free.Governments reluctant to providelifeguard service are typically unmo-tivated to pay a consultant to tellthem what they are doing wrong.Thus, it is left to those with the time,dedication, and commitment to con-tribute their expertise. The reward isthe possibility that unknown numbersof people who would otherwise diefor lack of rescue will not. In thiscase, we volunteered our time andSea Grant was able to reimbursesome of our expenses. The SoutheastRegion covered much of the rest orour expenses. And what wasn’t cov-ered by those two, we covered our-selves.

The beaches of Puerto Rico arebeautiful. They are mostly unspoiled,except for the regular runoff fromrain, which contaminates the wateras it does everywhere there is urbanrunoff. They are largely unguarded,despite strong surf and deadly ripcurrents. During our visit, a hurri-cane was passing offshore and thesurf was quite impressive on thenorth shore. Puerto Rico is a surfingMecca for some. (The Beach Boys

mentioned Puerto Rico’s Rincon intheir iconic song, Surfin’ Safari.)Due to the rigor of our schedulehowever, we had to take a pass onsurfing Rincon and other breaks.

In this tropical environment,drowning deaths occur year round,both on the beaches and elsewhere.There is no marked seasonality.Over 65% of drowning deaths occurin the ocean or in rivers. And thevast majority of victims are nottourists. They are natives.

We visited beaches with life-guards and we spoke to the life-guards about the challenges theyfaced. Lifeguard facilities are, atbest, primitive. Lifeguard equipmentis, for the most part, rudimentary.Lifeguard pay appears to be extraor-

IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO HELP OTHERS... from page 31

to page 32...

dinarily uninspiring. We visited plen-ty of beaches that were supposed tohave lifeguards, but lifeguards werenot there. Mostly though, we visitedvast expanses of beach, much of itvery hazardous beach, where nolifeguards ever patrol.

Toward the end of our visit, wemade an extensive presentation tothe Puerto Rico Beach Board, as Mr.Chaparro had envisioned. It was anexcellent opportunity and it wasclear that our time touring more than20 beaches, over scores of hours ina nondescript van, had been wellspent. We were able to make itclear that we knew whereof we

spoke. That lent credibility to ourmessage. A few days later, our pres-entation was chronicled in the mostwidely read Sunday paper.

We promised to deliver to the cit-izens of Puerto Rico a report withour recommendations. Dozens ofhours of work went into it. Issued inFebruary 2008, this collaborativeeffort of we four is 37 pages long,with an appendix of another 71pages. It includes an overview ofwhat we saw, extensive statisticaldata, comparisons between the cir-cumstances on the ground and bestpractice, and culminates in 47 sepa-rate recommendations to everyonefrom the Governor to Mr. Chaparrohimself.

The article you now read is inad-equate to cover the breadth of theissues detailed in such a comprehen-sive report; but if you have interest,our report can be found in theLifeguard Library section ofwww.usla.org. I commend it to thosewho may wonder about the current

status of beach safety in Puerto Ricoand our recommendations forchange.

We hope and we trust that thebeachgoers of Puerto Rico will bemuch safer as a result of our work.We know it is a long road and wewon’t hesitate to go back when fur-ther help is needed. It’s the missionof USLA and it’s more than worth it.

If you are a lifeguard and youwant to do more to change theworld, you may consider becominginvolved in the USLA mission. Yourannual membership fee is a start. Ithelps to support work like this thatsupports lifesaving. And who knows,maybe you’ll be on the next lifesav-ing development trip.


IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO HELP OTHERS... from page 32

PALM BEACH LIFEGUARDS AWARDED FOR OFF-DUTY HEROICSDon May, Palm Beach, FL

Palm Beach County OceanLifeguards Bryan Theiss and JohnGepp were presented with theFlorida Beach Patrol ChiefsAssociation Meritorious Award dur-

ing the annual banquet on Feb. 22.The lifeguards were honored for

saving four swimmers caught in arip current outside County propertyafter work hours on Oct. 28, 2007.Theiss and Gepp entered the dan-gerous surf without any equipmentor back up and swam 100 yardsoffshore to save the victims. Withouttheir swift response, the day couldhave ended in a tragedy.

Another example of braveryoccurred on Jan. 26, 2008 at CarlinPark. Lifeguards Lou Kanitsch andBen Demonstranti saved three swim-mers caught in a rip current. Theseas were running four to six feet

high, and the victims were pulled 75yards offshore by the rip current.One of the victims, a little girl, hadaspirated water. The lifeguards tookher pulse, checked her respirationand blood pressure and listened toher lungs. Luckily, she was not inserious condition. They consoled theother two shivering victims and gavethem blankets. Another tragedy wasavoided, thanks to these heroic life-guards.

Ocean Rescue is fortunate tohave employees who are committedand dedicated to the training neces-sary to perform lifeguarding at itshighest level.

36 AMERICAN LIFEGUARD MAGAZINE, SUNNER 2008

a united states lifesaving association publication...jennifer velasquez, torrance, ca...

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