Guarding lives
Parks, recreation director wants to put more lifeguards on the job to protect swimmers on county's beaches
By Robert Behre
Charleston County may expand dramatically the number of lifeguards stationed on its beaches next summer after a recent rash of drownings and surf rescues.
County Park and Recreation Commission Director Tom O'Rourke said Wednesday he hopes to spend about $300,000 more next summer to increase the number of lifeguards and to patrol areas beyond the county's three beach parks.
The Post and Courier
Folly Beach County Park lifeguard Michael Reynolds keeps a close eye on beachgoers as they swim Wednesday. Charleston County parks chief Tom O'Rourke plans to ask the County Council for help in hiring more lifeguards.
O'Rourke said his frustration over these preventable deaths has been building for years, and he plans to appear before Charleston County Council next week to discuss what to do. He wants to expand the lifeguard areas by about 50 percent next year and by similar amounts in the next two years.
"I'm personally tired of sitting here saying, 'At least it didn't happen in our park,' " he said. "It's still a deceased person. It's still our larger responsibility."
O'Rourke said the commission has some money available to begin hiring and training more lifeguards next spring so they can hit the beaches.
He plans to ask County Council if it would consider providing additional support, possibly in the form of a small property tax increase or a chunk of hotel tax revenue.
There is precedent for PRC lifeguards working areas beyond a county park.
Three years ago, O'Rourke and Folly Beach Mayor Carl Beckmann Jr. hatched a plan to station about a half-dozen lifeguards a few blocks on either side of the Folly Beach Fishing Pier.
"As far as the city is concerned, it's a big plus. It's not costing the city a dime," Beckmann said, adding that a growing number of visitors congregate on this stretch of beach because it is guarded.
Related story
Veteran has eye for rip currents, published 7/16/2009
"Based on what I've seen and what I've heard," he said, "I know they're doing a lot of good being there."
Currently, central Folly and the three county parks on Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Kiawah Island are the only areas on the county's coast with regular lifeguards.
But the spate of drownings is not limited to local beaches. Last month, an 18-month-old toddler drowned in a backyard pool in Ladson, a 6-year-old drowned in North Charleston and a 40-year-old Cross man succumbed to the currents of the Ashley River while crabbing beneath the North Bridge.
O'Rourke said he wants the new effort to include swimming lessons and water safety. He said he would like to start using the county's three water parks, Whirlin' Waters, Splash Zone and Splash Island, for swimming classes.
Previous stories
Three teens rescued near Sullivan's Island, published 07/13/09
Beachgoers still on edge, published 07/12/09
Another death, three more rescued, published 07/11/09
"We want to do the work beforehand so we don't have to make that rescue," he said, likening it to firefighters who try to prevent fires instead of simply putting them out.
The beach safety crisis appeared to peak last week, as the body of Tara Lynn McAlister of Goose Creek was found on Folly Beach, Anna Finkelstein of New York disappeared after fighting a powerful current near Breach Inlet on Sullivan's Island, and three other swimmers were rescued from Sullivan's.
O'Rourke said he would be interested in putting lifeguards on Sullivan's as well as expanding their current territory on other islands. He said he would be willing to work with each area on the specifics such as hours, locations and other details.
Ultimately, if the Park and Recreation Commission gets the support it needs, O'Rourke said the expanded patrols and education efforts could cost about $1 million more per year. The exact nature of the program will depend on what kind of support the commission can get.
Charleston County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor said council's ultimate decision on whether to help would be made only after all the facts and figures are known. "Anything that's going to improve public safety, we would be glad to take a look at it."
O'Rourke said he would like it if there eventually were lifeguards on every stretch of the county's beaches, "but we have to bite off the amount we can chew and then take the next step and the next step."
"It's our problem," he said, "and we're going to solve it."
Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
charlestt (anonymous) says...
O'dork
This is not your problem. Stay out of it. I guess your either having images of yourself as David Hasselhoff in Baywatch or this is just a power grab designed by you and Rielly. Why is it that every accident or tragedy needs to be acted upon by idiots like you?
I guess you don't want to let a good crisis slip away? What are you going to do, send them out to 3rd bar off SI. Newsflash, they will still drown and you will just be in control of more money. The only reason the lifeguards are at the piers is to deter surfing and look cool to the dumb*ss tourists. $1,000,000, divided by $8hr is 125,000 man hours. There are 90 days of summer, thats roughly 173.5 lifeguards a day at 8hr a shift. Maybe 8 total miles of patrollable beaches equals about 21.76 lifegaurds per mile per day. Why don't you and the county leave it up to the beach communities? You are so ignorant to say it doesn't cost Folly anything, and quite frankly that is what is wrong with all you govt idiots-All this crap is paid for by us, and especially by the beach communities and their property taxes. Oh, and if you keep acting so flippant with our money, there won't be any tourists next year, except for government employee's like you-y'all are doing great I'm sure.
July 16, 2009 at 3:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestt (anonymous) says...
And I hope your not spending county money on a beach that I can only get to by boat. Private communities are just that PRIVATE. They must pay twice for their little sheltered world at Kiawah and Seabrook. I hope you realize what an lamo you are O'rouke.
July 16, 2009 at 3:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TRODI (anonymous) says...
Actually if they can cover the public beaches im all for it.tack another dollar on the accommodations tax for hotels.maybe some meters for parking.a 5 dollar year long sticker for residents parking.after all charleston feeds off the tourist.if they save a few lives its well worth a couple of million.at least i value my life as much.im sure everyone else does also.actually enforcing the no swim signs at breach inlet with a heavier fines with no leeway.i see the police drive on the beach and sit around 3rd or 4th ave on iop all they would have to do is drive a few hundred yards to enforce the rules and write tickets.i my self fish the beach or try to every week.i make a stop at hadrells maybe get some breakfast somewhere stop at the corner gas station on si.thats 20 bucks a trip.you figure i do this a 100 times a year probably more.thats 2k in income for the area lets say a 100 people do this.thats 200k.the tourists spend more than this safer beaches or the illusion there of. lets say it attracts 10k more visitors hypothetically and the spend a couple of grand each while here a week.thats20000000 to the local economy.a couple of million doesnt seem so much anymore.
July 16, 2009 at 6:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
maeko (anonymous) says...
the thing is they probably won't raise revenue to pay for it for fear it will anger consituants. if approved, they'd probably siphon the money from other services, which are already stretched thin
July 16, 2009 at 7:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Oceanlover (anonymous) says...
The bottom line on this is that it's a way for the county to expand its control over me and you. And to keep those damned pesky surfers off Folly and other beaches. Most - not all - but most of these lifeguards are worthless kooks giving the impression of safety. I used to work as one up on the Grand Strand. We'd party like crazy every night then get up so bleary eyed and hungover that we couldn't see straight the next morning. I used to beach monkey for one lifeguard who was so crosseyed most mornings after he set out the beach chairs and umbrellas (the way we made money was beach chair, umbrella and raft rentals) that he'd have me - with no First Aid cert whatsoever - watch the beach while he tried to sleep off his drunken trangressions - and these were many. Why don't yall ask about the kook lifeguard that a crew of surfers had to rescue last summer because he paddled his 'rescue' board too close to the Folly Pier to chase off a surfer. And then there's the genius straight outta Reno911 cop who shot up a car in Folly last year because it was driving the wrong way down the road. Geniuses I tell you.
Man oh man I feel safer already. Basically this is a way to keep surfers off the beaches and to make the beaches appear safer. If Folly's messianic mayor really wanted to make the beaches safer, he's post some genuine warning signs up at the Washout over the old jetties. Can't tell you how many tourons I've watched batter themselves on those things - sometimes frightfully so. Only a matter of time before someone dives headfirst into one, breaks a neck and sues the town for everything - and wins. To quote the film "Big Wednesday: "You'll be living under the booted foot of the lifeguard state - they've already taken over the point."
July 16, 2009 at 7:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
follydude (anonymous) says...
the article failed to reference the Indian guy who drowned on a lifeguarded part of beach near the pier.
the issue of taxes, etc. is also a sticking point. the CCPRC's footprint on Folly Beach is considerable: the west end is a park with hundreds of parking spaces, concessions and rented social/party facilities; the middle of the island has the fishing pier and it's parking and gift shop as well as the boat landing; the east end and former Coast Guard facility which is to be developed.
all of these installations generate zero revenue for the City of Folly Beach in property taxes. the parks, the pier the concessions pay no tax to the city.
now, they want more.
the other issue is that the management (or lack thereof) of the current crop of lifeguards is weak.
the Guards have kids managing kids with little or no training in leadership or effectively managing others. sure, they're 1st responders and CPR trained and that's a good thing.
but working 12 hour days in the heat, dealing with the public and then dealing with a college sophomore as a supervisor with no management training is bad management from the top.
if Mr. O' is reading this: please rewrite your plan and make sure supervisors and blue shirts are effectively trained or you'll loose all of your current guards.
July 16, 2009 at 8:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HardWorker (anonymous) says...
Maybe Obama will send us about $5M of "stimulus" money for a $300,000 issue. That might help get the economy moving.
July 16, 2009 at 8:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ysillyme (anonymous) says...
Several years ago a friend and I were caught in a terrible rip current. I was sucked way, way out. In spite of excellent water training in the USMC, and being a good swimmer I barely made it back (so did my friend). The cost involved to save just 1 swimmer in distress is money well spent. We find county money for more horseshirt than is possible to fathom, how about invest in saving lives which may end up being a loved one of yours BTW.
July 16, 2009 at 9 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
desspec (anonymous) says...
Just because one "lifeguard" admits to being a piece of crap doesn't mean all lifeguards are.
July 16, 2009 at 9:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chasnativegirl (anonymous) says...
The guy from India that died was actually swimming outside of the guarded area further down the beach when he drowned. He just happened to float up in the edge of the guarded space because of the current.
I personally go out to Folly with my kids just about every weekend and we set up camp right by the lifeguards so that we can be in their sights. They are always on top of things. They are consistently blowing their whistles when people get too close to the pier, go out too deep, or are horsing around. I think they do a great job and it makes me feel a lot better about allowing my kids in the water.
July 16, 2009 at 9:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
capnphil (anonymous) says...
No need to increase the volume of guards so dramatically. Increase the pay of the paid, trained professionals, and you will get more talented, better educated, more physically fit, more diligent guards. I used to supervise the guards and they trained everyday while I was there. Not every guard is a worthless kook like Oceanlover, since you linked yourself to your Grand Strand cronies. Your guards couldn't hold a kayak paddle to my guards then. I still could guard the Folly Pier with less guards then they do now and safely. Quality, not quantity is needed. Prevention is the key. Stay Diligent Guards. Swim near a Lifeguard.
July 16, 2009 at 9:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chas123 (anonymous) says...
More emphasis needs to be placed on the life guards that the county currently has. Sixteen and seventeen year olds are just too young and immature for this type of responsiblity. Twenty one should be a minimum age as cell phones are a huge distraction for the younger generation. Random drug testing should occur. Why increase the number?
July 16, 2009 at 10:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mb300sl (anonymous) says...
Sounds like O'Rourke wants to expand his little empire...swim in rip currents at your own risk.
The government cannot and should not do everything!
July 16, 2009 at 10:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HardWorker (anonymous) says...
I don't have a problem with saving lives, but I do have a problem with spending money that you don't have, which ruins lives and families.
BTW...I remember some of those idiots in the pool at Parris Island who couldn't swim, and I'm pretty sure they still graduated. Maybe money should be spent on swimming lessons in low-income housing communities.
July 16, 2009 at 10:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mainermike (anonymous) says...
This is AS I SEE IT, by Mainer Mike Brown.
I could never be a lifegaurd. I can't pay attention well enough to notice someone drowning.
That's AS I SEE IT. I'm Mainer Mike Brown.
July 16, 2009 at 10:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
20lbtest (anonymous) says...
I like the idea of more lifegaurds--the water is treacherous and we need to protect our most valuable resource-- our kids-- I say go for it.
July 16, 2009 at 11:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NakedYoga (anonymous) says...
It amazes me that you people think it's a "power grab" or some sort of evil political machination for them to be interested in installing more lifeguards. Everything the local government does is not designed to strip you of your civil liberties and send you to re-education camp in an underground laboratory in New Mexico.
No wonder it's so hard to find tin foil these days...
July 16, 2009 at 11:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
st33lz (anonymous) says...
I have no problem w/ additional lifeguards as well as there well training and in good physical condition to themselves which should be a requirement.
I've seen some lifeguards that looked so much out of shape that they probably couldn't save themselves out in a rip current let alone someone else.
One thing they SHOULD do in addition is to provide backroom facilities, showers, and track bings on Sullivans Is. It's unacceptable.
July 16, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
st33lz (anonymous) says...
previous commment ... should "track bings" = trash bins
July 16, 2009 at 12:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fragdemon (anonymous) says...
Here is a novel idea as a beach visitor. Use my own common sense. Think to yourself, maybe I shouldn't go out this far in the water. You shouldn't have to rely on a lifeguard to look out for you.
If you take your kids to the beach, they are your responsibility!! By sitting closer to the lifeguard tower does not mean he/she is your nanny.
Jesus people, take responsibility for your own lives. Quit relying on the govt.(local,state or federal) in any fashion to lookout for you.
July 16, 2009 at 1:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Oceanlover (anonymous) says...
Nakedyoga - don't be a moron. I'm no tinfoil hatter - this is a blatant power grab - and an opportunity for someone at the county to earn a fatter paycheck. Let the people who want to be guarded go to the current guarded beaches go there and let those of us who don't fend for ourselves. I may have voted for Obama, but I'm also self employed and carry a pretty dang strong streak of DIY'ism in my genes. I can't stand the idea of a guard - who has far less ocean experience than me, a lifelong surfer and once WSI certified swimmer - telling me how I should swim or where I can surf. Capnphil, you'll note that I did not call ALL Folly guards worthless kooks - just most. I know from my experience as a teenaged lifeguard on the Grand Strand. I wasn't worth much as a guard til my last year. Of course, with all that said, if a guard saved me or one of my kids, I'd be grateful as h e doubleL. I just want it to be my choice as to whether or not I want - or need to be guarded - and I want the guards at Folly to be as well trained and motivated as the ones you find in California. Not a bunch of kids with a CPR cert and no knowledge of how to even paddle a surfboard - or a lifesaving board.
July 16, 2009 at 1:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chasnativegirl (anonymous) says...
OF COURSE my children are my responsibility. I do not use the lifeguards to babysit them. I am right there in the water with my children. I am simply saying that I think it is the wisest place for children to swim...in front of lifeguards. God forbid anything were to happen and I alone was not enough.
Think before you type.
July 16, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NakedYoga (anonymous) says...
What "power" is he attempting to grab? He's asking for money to increase lifeguards.
July 16, 2009 at 1:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Lumpy (anonymous) says...
I'm all for increasing lifeguards. Give them bags and they can pick up the beer cans as they patrol.
July 16, 2009 at 2:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suec (anonymous) says...
not sure I understand all the power grabbing comments either
July 16, 2009 at 4:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nickl (anonymous) says...
I remember a couple years ago I went with my neices and nephews to the park on IOP when my 7 year old nephew on his boogie board got stuck in a current and was being thrown all over the place and dragged towards the pier. All the lifegaurd did was blow his whistle. I was holding my two younger neices in the water at the time, got them out of the water and then went and pulled my nephew in without the lifegaurd ever getting out of his chair.
I'm all for more lifeguards if we are willing to put the training into them actually doing their jobs. If I weren't such a strong swimmer my nephew would have ended up in the pilings of the pier.
July 16, 2009 at 5:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lowcountrydawg (anonymous) says...
Again, it's very simple, if you can't swim, don't go in or stay in the shallow areas....
July 16, 2009 at 8:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Oceanlover (anonymous) says...
By power grab, I mean, more power to the lifeguards and those who employ them, and less for those of us who choose to make our own decisions on how to surf, swim and recreate.
July 16, 2009 at 11:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
greyman (anonymous) says...
This is not a power grab. If you refer to it as one you would probably think police are restricting you from doing anything you want to on the highway. The lifeguards are well trained ,and in good shape. They all have to pass a swim and run test to get the job. All of them are first responder trained. Some lifeguards are EMT B certified. Many of the supervisors already have a college degree or are about to get one. They have done a good job especially at the pier. Their have been countless missing children this summer and last that they have helped find. They have also made numerous rescues. Then you have all of the medical calls they have responded to. Many surfers may not like the laws, but they should not take it out on the ones enforcing it. By this I am referring to the no surfing at the pier. Be glad they are their. I am sure many parents with kids appreciate them.
July 20, 2009 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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