RNLI lifeguards are now on duty in Norfolk and Pembrokeshire. Liz Cook reports on the charity’s drive to put life first on ever more beaches

2007was a breakthrough year for the RNLI. Its lifeguarding service, already firmly established on 70-plus beaches in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, broke out of south west England and was welcomed to East Anglia’s Sheringham, Cromer, Mundesley and Sea Palling. Town councillors were pleased that their local communities, and the thousands of holidaymakers who visit them each year, would now benefit from the expertise of the RNLI’s lifeguards alongside that of its lifeboat crews.

A watchful presence

From May to October, approximately 93,000 people used these beaches so the lifeguards had their hands full. Applying the principle that prevention is better than cure, they took over 3,700 precautionary actions. Advising beachgoers on tidal movements and the locations of rip currents, calling in swimmers venturing beyond the flags or monitoring the use of inflatables: none of these moments was dramatic but all interrupted the chain of events that can lead to a drowning.

However, records show that there were 361 incidents that involved some kind of active intervention on land or in the sea. The lifeguards’ mountain bikes, quad bikes and four-wheel-drive vehicles were only involved a handful of times but their basic ‘tools of the trade’, the rescue board and rescue tube, featured more strongly. The rescue boat and rescue watercraft (the motorbike of the waves) were used mainly for proactive patrols.

The Norfolk lifeguards gave direct assistance to 378 people, including 15 who had to be rescued. Almost three quarters received some kind of first aid – over 200 had lacerations, contusions or a fracture, while fortunately only a few exhibited heart problems, epilepsy or other collapse. Many suffered jellyfish, weever fish and wasp stings. As qualified ‘first responders’ the lifeguards were able to provide everything from oxygen therapy through to plasters and reassurance as appropriate. They also played a key role in searching for reported ‘missing’ adults and children.

2008 and beyond

This year is another milestone for the RNLI. More beaches in south west and east England have been added to the fold, as have the first in Pembrokeshire. Volunteers are also beginning to swell the ranks of RNLI Vital statistics RNLI lifeguards are now on duty in Norfolk and Pembrokeshire. Liz Cook reports on the charity’s drive to put life first on ever more beaches 26 lifeguards, continuing the fine tradition established by their lifeboating counterparts (see page 6).

These dramatic steps are only the fi rst in a plan to provide lifeguards on every beach that needs them. The RNLI is working to raise awareness of the importance of lifeguarding and thence to encourage even more local authorities to partner the charity in putting life fi rst. The Life fi rst campaign was launched offi cially by Chairman Sir Jock Slater at the RNLI’s AGM. It’s aimed at the charity’s potential partners but also the two thirds of ordinary members of the public who will visit a beach this season. If they are to make a wise choice of leisure destination, the option of a lifeguarded beach needs to be available in the first place.

The cost of the service

Out of a total running cost for the whole of the RNLI of £134M, its lifeguard service accounted for less than £5M last year, largely thanks to the generosity of the councils that fund full-time lifeguard wages. But this is still a huge income to fi nd – and to build on if major expansion is to go ahead.

The Life first campaign therefore also has a fundraising role. Just as lifeboat stations must be built and lifeboat crews equipped and trained, lifeguards require a parallel infrastructure (see page 52 for news of a major development at Fistral).

This gives a similar range of opportunities for support, although a lifeguard rescue boat naming ceremony is a rather more casual affair than that for a lifeboat!