The RNLI prides itself on a long lifesaving tradition but, in order to save more lives, it is alert to changes in how people use the sea

People still go to sea for a living. But by the year 2000, with economies in the UK and RoI thriving and the leisure industry booming, lifeboat rescues were increasingly closer to shore and beaches getting busier.

The most popular beaches were covered by council-employed lifeguards and volunteers from local lifesaving clubs – all doing good work but with different standards, equipment and levels of training. The RNLI envisioned a seamless rescue service from the beach to the open sea. With this in mind, a trial was held in 2001, with RNLI-trained and equipped lifeguards on 22 beaches in Cornwall and Dorset.

2001

The trial proved a success, with 20 lives saved and 3,520 people aided. Most importantly for the future of the scheme, the lifeguards worked well with their colleagues from RNLI lifeboat stations, with the roles of each arm of the service clearly defined. At the end of the season, the RNLI Trustees gave the go-ahead to carry on lifeguarding. But there was much more work to do …

2002

A lifeguard’s most important piece of kit is himself or herself. It may seem obvious that a lifeguard must be fit, fast and strong, but how are these qualities defined?

The RNLI worked with the University of Portsmouth to clarify the fitness levels required to do the job well. The researchers calculated how fast a lifeguard should be able to run (200m in under 50 seconds) and swim (400m in 7½ minutes) to give a casualty the best chance of survival.

In 2002, the lifeguards hopped onboard rescue watercraft (RWCs), which can do 40 knots, compared with the inshore rescue boat’s 26, and can be handled by a single lifeguard. Lifeguard Training and Development Manager Brett Shepherd, who started his career at the RNLI as a lifeguard in Bournemouth, says: ‘My highlight of the decade was the introduction of the rescue watercraft – it’s the future of lifeguarding! It’s a fast, responsive rescue tool in the right hands.’

When the 2002 season ended, almost 6,995 more people had been assisted by RNLI lifeguards. On 3 October, Rod MacDonald, who had been patrolling with the RNLI team on Newquay’s Fistral Beach over the Summer, was out walking when he was called upon to rescue a bodyboarder who had got into trouble in a sea churning around the rocky Cornish coastline [see issue 564 of the Lifeboat].

2003-4

Rod’s courageous out-of-season rescue resulted in his being the first lifeguard to be awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry (left). Further public awareness of the service came with the broadcast of the first series of BBC’s Danger on the Beach, which was later to be renamed Seaside Rescue. For six seasons, the show has been aired on BBC One, bringing the work of RNLI lifeguards (and lifeboats) into the homes of millions.

The number of lives saved by RNLI lifeguards rose from 22 in 2002 to 27 in 2003, on the same number of beaches. This may seem positive, but the aim of a good lifeguard is to prevent incidents from occurring in the first place. It was time to start educating the public on how to stay safe at the beach. The Meet the Lifeguards programme, set up in 2003, did, and does, exactly what it says on the tin. So far almost 200,000 young people have been given safety messages in a fun way at schools, at clubs and on the beach.

2005

It is estimated that 95% of a good lifeguard’s work is preventative. Two more education programmes were introduced in 2005: Hit the Surf, a beach-based programme that combines safety lessons with surf lifesaving skills (more than 9,000 participants so far), and Beach to City, which brings key messages to children who live far away from the coast but may visit the seaside on holiday (50,000 participants so far).

But you can’t speak to everybody directly. So, also in 2005, the RNLI Beach Safety Team led the development and introduction of a new UK-wide standard for beach safety flags and signs.

2006

By the start of the 2006 season, there were 62 lifeguard teams on beaches in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. Relationships had been established with beach managers and local authorities around the UK, and the RNLI set up a risk assessment service to help these decision-makers make their beaches safer, with or without RNLI lifeguards.

2007

In 2007, RNLI lifeguards branched out from the south west of England, taking on five beaches in Norfolk. The year’s other milestone was the award of a Bronze Medal for Gallantry to Lifeguard Sophie Grant-Crookston.

2008

RNLI lifeguards’ 2008 debut in Wales brought the service’s patrolled beaches up from 71 to 110. Encouragingly, from a ‘prevention-is-better-than cure’ point of view, the average number of incidents requiring lifeguard intervention per beach fell below the 100 mark (87) for the first time.

2009

John Dugard and Chris Boundy (right) became the first lifeguards to be honoured with Silver Medals for Gallantry in 2009. They risked their own lives off Trebarwith Strand to rescue an angler from a turbulent pool known locally as ‘the Washing Machine’ [see the Lifeboat issue 585 or goo.gl/jmKgi].

A little further north, our lifeguards took over patrols on popular beaches in Lincolnshire, as well as expanding cover in Wales and the West Country.

Meanwhile, at Headquarters, the Training Department was working on a new first aid course for use on the beach. The course was introduced in 2009, and focused on treating symptoms rather than making diagnoses, supported by a set of check cards, quick and easy to use.

2010

Helly Hansen became an official clothing partner to RNLI Lifeguards in 2010, working with our charity to develop bespoke clothing for the lifeguards in their challenging roles and environment. Throughout our decade on the beaches, we have relied on volunteer lifeguards to support those who are paid to work fulltime. In 2010, as watersports’ popularity grew, and more people holidayed in the UK due to money getting tighter all round, lifeguards at Fistral who had been paid over the Summer volunteered their time for free at weekends in the Autumn. The season was over but the beaches were still busy, and you can read how they saved a life on page 18. Last season, RNLI lifeguards saved 107 lives on 152 beaches.

2011 and on

From a pilot scheme on a handful of beaches to a respected, professional service on more than 160 beaches, the RNLI lifeguard service has come a long way. This year, the lifeguards will make their first forays onto beaches in Northern Ireland and Jersey, as well as going onto more beaches in the north of England.

Looking ahead, Brett Shepherd says: ‘We’ve got some work to do. One challenge will be sustaining the service through the economic downturn. Another will be maintaining the quality of the service as we grow and take on more beaches. However, the bigger our lifeguards service gets, and the more recognised, the safer the beaches will be.’