KENT NEWS: With most people still recovering from what was one of the coldest winters in years, thoughts of sun, sea and sand are still a distant dream.
And before the majority can ditch their boots in favour of flip-flops there is still the unpredictable spring weather to get through.
But for Thanet’s beach lifeguards, the summer starts here, with gruelling training sessions already under way for the season ahead, and in just weeks, their first dip in the grey, cold waters of the Channel.
Lifeguard Rupert Cox, 19, who started working on the beaches four years ago, said this training, and the subsequent assessments, are vital for the work they do in the summer.
“Last year, on our busiest days we would see between 3,000 and 5,000 people on our main beaches throughout the course of the day,” he said.
“At the Water Gala in Broadstairs, Viking Bay saw around 10,000 people.
“It’s not the type of job you can ease your way into in the morning – you could have a rescue the moment you start at 9.30am or minutes before you finish at 6pm.”
And rescues are not as rare as some might think, with pier jumpers, strong currents and ever more people descending on Thanet’s award-winning beaches.
Training takes place at Ramsgate Swimming Pool months before the beach season starts, with open water sessions in the sea over the Easter period.
Rupert said: “It involves building up stamina, swimming long distances and first aid.
“In the sea we have to swim 300 metres and pick up a ‘casualty’, train on the Malibu boards and some of the head guards will be trained to use the boats.
“It’s constant training at work though, you never stop learning.”
Despite popular opinion that being a beach lifeguard is the dream job, those who work on the beaches know well the pressures it comes with.
“You have to be on constant watch to see if anyone is in trouble in the water,” said Rupert.
“And we have real problems with pier jumpers. We tell them not to do it, but we have no authority to actually stop them.
“When we go over to tell them to stop, that’s one less pair of eyes on the beach, watching the water and making sure everyone is okay.
“Then when one of the pier jumpers is injured or gets into trouble in the water, we have to go in and rescue them.”
Scrapes, bruises and, in worse cases, broken bones, mean the lifeguards are also constantly using their first aid skills.
And in rare cases, they have been sent out on their boats to look for bodies of suicide victims.
But the beach lifeguards admit it’s a job they love.
Rupert said: “We’re all friends and look out for each other which is really important in a job like this.”
The lifeguards work on beaches from Ramsgate round the coast to Minnis Bay, with five guards allocated to the busiest beaches and two to three on others.
Steve Davis, managing director at Thanet Leisure Force, which employs them, said this year the company will also be using work experience guards from Thanet Lifeguard Club.
“This will enhance numbers on the beaches and also show youngsters who are too young to be employed by us at the moment how it all works,” he said.
“It means more lifeguards on the beaches, which is vital due to how busy we get.”
Mr Davis, who manages the water safety contract, said the lifeguards also hold water safety lectures.
He said: “They are ambassadors for the area. Not only do they ensure the beaches are safe, but they help tourists who may be lost and are first port of call for anyone in trouble,” he said.
POSTED: 21/03/2010 12:00:00
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