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Vancouver Lifeguard School should reopen to deal with city's unique waterfront problems, says advocate

Increased crowds, the opioid crisis and booze on beach pilot add to responsibilities of city's 150 outdoor lifeguards.

A lifeguard puts up caution tape and a warning sign alerting beach-goers the water in the area around Sunset Beach is unfit for swimming in Vancouver, BC, August, 9, 2020.
A lifeguard puts up caution tape and a warning sign alerting beach-goers the water in the area around Sunset Beach is unfit for swimming in Vancouver, BC, August, 9, 2020. Photo by RICHARD LAM /PNG

The Vancouver Lifeguard School should reopen to better help lifeguards manage the city’s unique waterfronts and the looming possibility of booze on beaches, advocates say.

Former Vancouver lifeguard Claire Nicol, who worked for the parks board for over 20 years, said the Vancouver Lifeguard School was held annually at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre from 1938 to 2018.

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“Guard school created a vehicle for young lifeguards to train under the mentorship of senior lifeguards,” she said.

“Guard school provided training and practice not only in preventing injury and drowning but also how to welcome visitors as the city’s ambassadors and be a first point of contact for beach regulars and tourists alike.”

She said Vancouver’s outdoor lifeguards are facing more issues as the number of beachgoers increase amid the opioid crisis.

Front to back, Colin Simmons, Al Bushby, Jaiden Simmons and Michael Osachoff “eggbeater” a length of the pool during a session of the Vancouver Lifeguard school 2013 at the Vancouver Aquatic centre.
Front to back, Colin Simmons, Al Bushby, Jaiden Simmons and Michael Osachoff “eggbeater” a length of the pool during a session of the Vancouver Lifeguard school 2013 at the Vancouver Aquatic centre. Photo by Gerry Kahrmann /Vancouver Sun

Vancouver park board staff were also asked late last year by the new ABC Vancouver-dominated board to explore the introduction of booze zones on beaches.

Nicol gave as an example of challenges faced by lifeguards the morning of June 27, 2021, when the body of Fred Irambona was found floating just off the shore in English Bay a day after the beach was closed due to high E.coli counts and lifeguards had been redeployed.

She said two off-duty lifeguards at the beach were among the first called to respond to the situation and were asked to then work a shift. As part of that shift, the pair were tasked with providing life-saving measures for a small group of people who had overdosed on a bench, before being redeployed to another beach.

Also, last summer a lifeguard at the Second Beach outdoor pool was called to Second Beach after a body washed up, while on another day lifeguards had to perform lifesaving work on a swimmer at Third Beach.

“Increasing beach capacity, yet forcing new and undertrained lifeguard teams to bear the safety burden created by this is a deplorable public risk,” Nicol said.

On Dec. 5, the Vancouver park board ordered staff to produce an urgent report on the city’s pools and spray parks — including how to avoid last year’s lifeguard shortage. These shortage were attributed to earlier COVID-19 shutdowns of pools that meant the course lifeguards need to be certified could not be taken.

ABC Vancouver also asked staff to report on the possibility allowing people to drink alcohol on beaches.

In a statement, parks board said it had been asked to “plan to pilot the responsible consumption of alcohol on an appropriate Vancouver beach or beaches where adequate facilities exist to support such a beach pilot program”.

According to the statement, the Vancouver Lifeguard School was suspended in 2019 pending a review that was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The parks board employs around 150 outdoor lifeguards each summer. There are two lifeguards allocated to each of Vancouver’s nine beaches, with a third guard available during busy times. Outdoor pools have between three and six guards working at any one-time.

dcarrigg@postmedia.com

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