A SAFE SUMMER SEASON

As summer draws to a close, NSRI’s Lifeguard Unit can reflect on a job well done. By Wendy Maritz

THE NSRI’S COMMERCIAL lifeguard season began on 1 December and teams around the country had their work cut out for them. Having endured a festive season under lockdown the year before, holidaymakers and locals alike were going to make the most of the warm weather and time off.

‘From the outset, the 2021/22 season was going to be a busy one,’ says head of the NSRI’s Lifeguard Unit, Stewart Seini. He mentions the sheer volume of people on the open beaches as one reason, but the weather was also fairly erratic as La Niña caused adverse conditions including dangerous swells. ‘On most days we experienced all four seasons in one day,’ Stewart says, ‘but people wanted to swim no matter what. So our lifeguards had to ensure constantly that they had a safe area to swim while monitoring the surf and tide conditions.’

‘Swim between the flags’ temporary tattoos gave the lifeguards a chance to engage with children on the beach, educating them about safe swimming areas.

SIGNAGE AND ‘SWIM BETWEEN THE FLAGS’ TATTOOS

The main function of NSRI lifeguards is to provide education, prevention and rescue services on public beaches. Thanks to bright new signage and temporary tattoos, they were able to manage beachgoers and ensure their safety proactively. The lifeguards could demarcate safe swimming areas as well as indicate where it was not safe to swim owing to the presence of rip currents. With the signage in place, the lifeguards were able to focus on what was happening in the water rather than having to spend large amounts of time pointing out safe swimming areas or explaining why certain areas were unsafe. ‘The signage did that work for us,’ Stewart says, ‘so the lifeguards could concentrate on what they do best!’

In addition, temporary ‘Swim between the flags’ tattoos were given to children on the beach. This gave the lifeguards the chance to explain to the kids the importance of only swimming between the lifeguards’ red-andyellow flags, and also never to swim where no lifeguards are on duty.

A BUSY, BUSY SEASON

The Lifeguard Unit reported beach attendance of about 257 639 people over the holiday season. As of 31 January 2022, lifeguards had performed 4 805 prevention actions (those that prevent people from getting into trouble). This is an important function of the lifeguard initiative, which is a proactive one and aims to intervene before people are at risk of drowning or being injured. Actual incidents amounted to 184 rescues and 176 first-aid treatments (48 of which were due to marine stings). Eleven missing people were found and two animals rescued.

But the lifeguards didn’t only keep an eye on swimmers and beachgoers; they also monitored what was happening in the sea. ‘On 15 occasions, the lifeguards had to close the beaches due to great white shark activity close to the bathing areas,’ Stewart notes.

Lifeguards are trained in first aid and can assist beachgoers where necessary.

‘It was like watching Baywatch, only faster!’

After an adult male slipped and fell down a cliff at the caves near Roman Beach, Agulhas, the on-duty lifeguards were alerted and immediately called the NSRI’s EOC for medical backup while responding to the area. The lifeguards responded as far as they could in their 4x4, after which they had to grab their medical equipment and make their way down the cliff to the casualty, who had multiple large deep lacerations to his head. The lifeguards dressed the wounds, stabilised the casualty and assisted him out of the area to the waiting ambulance. The lifeguards were thanked for their prompt and professional response, with one bystander saying: ‘We looked up to see three lifeguards running with hands full of advanced medical equipment, focused on getting to the patient as quickly as possible – it was like watching Baywatch, only faster!’

Lifeguards are kitted out in bright colours and this, together with colourful signage, makes for a strong beach presence.

LOOKING OUT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

In summing up the season, Stewart says: ‘The NSRI lifeguard service supports the community by providing the highest quality lifeguarding, the best and most advanced lifeguarding equipment, beach safety and the upliftment of local community members in the areas in which we operate. They provide a service that enhances the beach amenities available, and the information and statistics that we provide in our end-of-season report really demonstrate the dedication of our lifeguard teams. Our local area managers ensure that the lifeguards are operating at the highest standards and have all the support they need. Good management is vital to be able to run a successful service. As an organisation, we are proud to be able to report that no lives were lost between or near the flags during the season. This is testament to the training, capability and effectiveness of our lifeguards.’