'A PROFESSIONAL, WELL-CONDUCTED SEASON’

NSRI’s Lifeguard Operations Manager, Stewart Seini, shares the successes and some challenges of the summer lifeguarding season.

Overall, we were incredibly happy with how the lifeguard operations went this year. It has been the most professional and well-conducted season to date. The lifeguards were impressive and followed a ‘safety-first’ approach while also maintaining the values of the NSRI. I was really impressed by the rescues they performed, their first-aid treatments and the preventive actions they carried out. We received quite a few compliments from members of the public and we love to hear this because when a member of the public steps onto an NSRI-lifeguarded beach, we want them to feel safe and in good hands.

RNLI training

One of the major reasons the season was a success was due to the input we received and the training we conducted with assistance and support from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the UK. We were able to provide the most in-depth training to prepare our lifeguards to be able to communicate with beachgoers about safety, thus taking a preventive course of action.

Of course it can be a challenge. People don’t want to be told what to do, especially not by a younger lifeguard. Until NSRI introduced the Lifeguard Unit, lifeguards were trained to observe the beach and perform rescues. Our focus and efforts are on preventing incidents before they occur, and one of the most effective ways to do so is to talk to people, warn them about the dangers they might face, and encourage them to move to the demarcated safe areas between the red and yellow flags and only to swim in this area.

On duty at Buffs Beach.

But communication needs to be done properly. Part of the RNLI training was on how to communicate effectively with beachgoers so they don’t feel ordered around. The training also included how to avoid or deal with conflict situations if members of the public became hostile or objected to the advice offered by the lifeguard.

Other interventions

In addition, we introduced two new signs to our range of pop-up signage. This included a warning sign that lifeguards could use for specific messages, as well as signs indicating which sections of the beach were not lifeguarded and then directing members of the public to safe swimming zones. We also continued our temporary ‘swim between the flags’ tattoo campaign with the children.

Lifeguard manager Willem le Roux assisting with a medical rescue.

A pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera was installed at Buffs Beach (Buffalo Bay, Knysna), which was monitored during the season by a dedicated person in our EOC. It runs 24 hours a day and allows the camera operator to see much more and further out than the lifeguards can, as it has a 50-times zoom and pan-and-tilt function.

Due to unforeseen issues with certain municipalities, we were present on five fewer beaches than in previous years, but we did add Langebaan Main Beach to our lifeguarded beaches this season. Thanks to assistance from Club Mykonos and the West Coast Trust, the lifeguard team was very well received and assisted with 14 incidents there.

Ready for duty at Sedgemouth.

A day in the life…

The lifeguards arrive at their beach anywhere from 8.00 to 9.30am depending on the day or requirements for the beach. They then conduct a thorough briefing that covers the lifeguards’ expectations for the day, the beach conditions and hazards and rotations.

Next they sign onto duty via the Surf Rescue App. A lifeguard then starts to monitor the beach, while the other lifeguards go through the equipment checklist to ensure that equipment is operational and stock levels are optimal. Then they prepare the beach area, which includes identifying and demarcating the safe swimming zone by putting up the red and yellow lifeguard flags, placing signage up and down the beach, and placing equipment on the beach for a quick response.

Morning briefing at Struisbaai.

Paternoster lifeguards.

The lifeguards rotate roles throughout the day, and every two hours they record beach statistics. Everything that the lifeguards do is recorded on the Surf Rescue App. If you see one of our lifeguards on their phone, don’t worry, that person is the dedicated Surf Rescue App recorder, and is not the person on watch, so your beach is still being monitored. The lifeguards’ duty ends at about 6pm but they will stay on until 7pm or later on public holidays if the beach is particularly busy or the risk of a drowning or other incident remains high.

Challenges and support

For the lifeguards to succeed in their jobs, public cooperation is vital. It’s a difficult job; they aren’t just sitting on the beach, they are being active and conducting risk assessments constantly. If beachgoers don’t take their advice, and swim beyond the flagged areas, the lifeguards have to focus their efforts on watching people swimming in dangerous areas as well as in their duty-to-care area, which is in the flagged zones.

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, but our management team ensures that we have logistical and team support for all of our lifeguards both in a professional manner and for any personal issues they may be going through.

Currently there is not much we would change in terms of operations for next season. In February we began looking at all our available data and stats, and that will give us a deeper insight into the season’s operations and allow us to look at changes for next season.