The RNLI's Beach Rescue pilot scheme has been running all summer on selected beaches in the south west of England. As the time approaches when a full evaluation of the pilot will be made, Jane Smythson visited one of the pilot projects to see how the scheme had been working out.The RNLI believes that through a beach rescue programme, it can help to prevent loss of life by providing a coordinated service from the beach to the open sea.

Many beaches currently have lifeguard cover provided by lifeguarding organisations such as the Surf Life Saving Association and the Royal Life Saving Society. There are, however, no common standards for lifeguards and these relatively small volunteer groups are not able to cover all beaches at all times.

Safety first No beach can ever be completely safe.

Even beaches that have a good record on recorded drownings or lifeboats being called out. are likely to have had several hundred 'life threatening' incidents that go relatively unnoticed. The RNLI hopes to reduce the likelihood of new problems and continue the education programme that the sea safety initiative has already started. The project will also provide an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of sea safety and the RNLI among young people, who are primary beach users.

The prevention role is key to the beach rescue scheme. Whereas the lifeboat service can measure its success in terms of lives saved and people brought ashore, the sign of a successful lifeguard is one who carries out as few rescues as possible. Instead, they will have spent their time educating people and preventing accidents before they happen.

Initial findings from the pilot show just how important it is to have a good lifeguard service. By late August, RNLI lifeguards had already been involved in over 3,000 recorded incidents. In addition to this, thousands of people will have benefited from assistance, advice or just the reassuring presence of lifeguards on the beach seven days a week.

Early research shows that 83% of people asked considered Beach Rescue to be Very important'. On knowing that the RNLI is involved in Beach Rescue. 57% of respondent said this would give them a more positive view of the organisation, with 85% agreeing or strongly agreeing that it was a natural extension of the RNLI's work.

Keeping guard The pilot scheme had barely started when on Saturday, 5 May RNLI lifeguards at Whitsand Bay beach had a highly unusual problem to deal with. An unexploded bomb had drifted in close to the shore on the first day of the May bank holiday weekend. The lifeguards • immediately contacted the Coastguard and undertook the evacuation of the beach before the bomb was detonated by a Royal Naval Bomb Disposal team.

Fortunately, unexploded bombs are not an everyday occurrence. 'The most common incidents are people caught out of their depth, small kids on body boards, weever fish stings and first aid,' said Newquay lifeguard Nigel Canterbury.

'People just don't understand the conditions,' added Rodney MacDonald.

'These can be dangerous beaches and people don't realise why we restrict them to one particular area.' Medical problems occur very frequently. All RNLI lifeguards have received thorough medical training and can deal with incidents from drowning to suspected heart attacks.

feOn 1 July a 13-year-old boy was swimming at Weymouth beach when he became ill. He was vomiting and starting to struggle but was quickly spotted by the lifeguards. A lifeguard went out to him on a rescue board and brought him safely back to the beach where he was made comfortable and reassured before being referred to a doctor.

On beaches without any form of lifeguard cover, ill and injured people often receive no help at all or, even worse, they are given the wrong treatment by wellmeaning but unqualified members of the public, sometimes making their condition far worse than it was.

Working together A key aim of the scheme was the seamless service from the beach to the open sea and there have been many incidents demonstrating this cooperation in practice. On 13 May, Brixham Coastguard contacted the RNLI lifeguards at Caradon for advice on a boat adrift in Whitsand Bay. The lifeguards quickly assessed the situation and recommended the launch of Looe inshore lifeboat, which was able to deal with the incident.

In comparison with medical emergencies, quite a small number of incidents involved people getting into trouble in the water. This might at first seem surprising but is a reflection of the excellent preventative work done by the lifeguards, who ensure that people do not swim where it is unsafe to do so.

As the summer comes to a close, the RNLI has started a detailed evaluation of the pilot scheme. The conclusions will be presented to the Executive Committee in November, when a decision will be made on the next step. Whatever that decision may be, the five teams in the pilot scheme can be confident that they have played their part in making their beaches safer places over the summer months.Lifeguards and lifejackets Lifeguards use a variety of rescue equipment, ranging from a torpedo tube or rescue board to an inflatable rescue boat (IRBI. They need to be proficient in the use of all the equipment at their disposal and undergo a competency test each season.

On busy surfing beaches, the IRB's primary role is to provide protection for the swimmers and surfers at that beach and is not normally used further than 400m from the shore. Because of this, the lifeguards don't generally wear lifejackets, although they always carry them aboard the boat in case of an emergency further out to sea. From the lifeguard's point of view, they don't see the distinction between swimming out 400m, paddling out 400m on a rescue board or driving an IRB out 400m. They are just different means of reaching a casualty or patrolling a beach.

There are also some potential difficulties with wearing lifejackets in surf.

All lifeguards are taught to duck dive to avoid being battered by the waves and also to body surf waves back to shore.

These skills are impossible to carry out when wearing a lifejacket.