The following is an update on the IBSP Lifeguard Program from Captain Chip Bruce.
Now that the 2017 summer season is well under way, the Island Beach State Park Lifeguards have been on duty working to keep the public safe. The Beach Patrol is comprised of 75 men and women; who are dedicated and highly trained water safety professionals. It is the purpose of the Island Beach State Park Beach Patrol to provide patrons with the highest degree of professional service and safety.
Earlier this season the officer staff along with senior lifeguards spent the months of May and June training new members of the beach patrol in various rescue techniques and equipment use. The new guards or “rookies” worked hard during the training and learned a lot about the park.
Training to be an Island Beach Lifeguard is no easy task as the rookies soon found out. They spent their days running, swimming, paddling, rowing and practicing various rescue techniques they had been taught. During training, simulated rescues allowed the rookies to get experience rescuing people and apply what they learned prior to being assigned to a guarding position. In fact, no rookie will be assigned as a lifeguard stand until they have successfully completed the training program.
Additionally, rookies spend hours in a classroom setting learning First Aid for the Professional Rescuer, Oxygen Administration, CPR, and Automatic External Defibrillation preparing them for the rigorous demands of protecting park patrons. Once the training phase is complete, the guards must “earn their reds” by passing a written exam and a grueling physical test that requires them to use all the skills they have been taught. Once successful they earn the right to wear their reds- the Island Beach Lifeguard uniform.
Recently, several of the rookies along with senior guards had to use their skills when the back of a sand bar gave out pulling several people out to deeper water and into a rip current. The lifeguards responded quickly using various pieces of equipment and were successful in rescuing 9 people from the surf. All the training paid off ….
