Here’s a Salute to California Lifeguards

* My sunburn-sensitive skin really gets chapped once again when our local government officials and press exclude their lifeguards for appreciation after natural disasters such as the recent California wildfires.

Our beach communities need to think and remember: police, fire and lifeguards!

My hat is off to all the fire departments, police and public safety men and women who courageously put their lives on the line to protect life and property during the fires. The mutual aid effort was an incredible logistic challenge tapping all available resources.

During the early stages of the fires the Los Angeles County lifeguards were quickly called upon to assist the fire departments with massive home evacuations. The same was true for the Laguna Beach lifeguards, although a much smaller department. So small in fact, Laguna Beach immediately had no lifeguards to patrol their beaches.

The Huntington Beach marine safety division chose to assist the Laguna lifeguards with mutual aid to fill the void and guard their beaches.

The point I wanted to make was succinctly made in 1991 by Chief Edward Ekers of the Santa Cruz Fire Department after the “Great Quake”: The beach communities which employ professional lifeguard services have an invaluable additional resource when dealing with major natural disasters. Unfortunately, non-beach communities are unable to realize this benefit.

I would like to thank all the professional lifeguards who helped out during the recent California wildfires. I hope their local officials and communities do the same.

KAI WEISSER

Huntington Beach