Lifeguards

* I have been an active beach-goer for the past 22 years at the South Bay and Malibu beaches. During these years I have observed the lifeguards and their degree of effectiveness in handling the public’s safety. Primarily pulling people from dangerous surf, and, on occasion, diligently coordinating their ranks to rescue groups of 10 to 20 helpless people caught in huge riptide currents. I have also seen, at sunset, a lifeguard paddle-boarding a great distance to rescue weary windsurfers too tired to fight the wind and sail to shore. I’ve seen groups of scuba divers too exhausted to drag themselves or their equipment through heavy surf to the beach and being rescued with the careful hand of the lifeguard. The stories are numerous. From minor first aid to major medical emergencies, lifeguards distinguish themselves. Few lives, if any, are lost each year at the county beaches and it’s due to the dedication and the skill level of the Los Angeles County lifeguards. Every rescue has always been a potential death.

All of us, all 55 million beach-goers who attend the county beaches each year, are in jeopardy of losing many of these lifeguards. With the possibility of huge cuts, due to the county/state allocations, and the fact that the lifeguards are not in the same public safety category as police and fire, the future may bring a restructuring that would replace the lifeguard organization as we know it with inexperienced rookies, or greatly decrease the present core of lifeguards. If you are concerned about continuing to save thousands of lives a year and securing our public safety while at our beaches, I urge you to contact our supervisors.

CHRIS E. MORGAN

Calabasas

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