I was at the beach the other day that was practically deserted except for a few security personnel and a couple of athletes training. Nobody was swimming and as soon as somebody tried to go in, security would approach since state law dictates that a lifeguard must be present.

 

Imagine swimming in the ocean without any lifeguards present. Most of us wouldn’t mind while others would not dip one toe in the water without a lifeguard on duty; but we can all agree that there’s something about having a lifeguard watching that makes us feel safer.

 So what is the exact role of lifeguards? Well, we all know they’re supposed to watch and save us if we’re drowning but there’s more to them than meets the eye. All lifeguards are trained to supervise the safety of swimmers, first aid, water rescue, but in some communities they also provide mountain rescue and function as the primary EMS providers.

 

Lifeguards are trained to prevent incidents from occurring as opposed to reacting after an incident such as a swimmer drowning has occurred. A lifeguard’s duties for preventing a drowning crisis include enforcing the rules and regulations of a beach, swimming pool or lake.

 These lifesavers are also expected to maintain supervision over their designated location in order to anticipate problems and prevent a crisis. They should also supervise all of the equipment while on duty, especially when it comes to swimming pools with diving boards because we all go a little bonkers when we see one.

 

These lifesavers play an important role in saving lives on a daily basis for inexperienced swimmers, swimmers with life-threatening situations for instance those who experience a stroke, heart attack or asthma attack as well as swimmers who experience fatigue while in the water.

 All in all, lifeguards play a very important role in maintaining safety on the beach. We should be grateful for those who stay in the blazing heat all day observing our behaviors and those of others to make sure our beach days run smoothly and we enjoy sun bathing and swimming without the worry.

 So next time you go for a dip in the pool or swim in the ocean, make sure there is a lifeguard present an active, other than that, enjoy the summer sun!