Teams of lifeguards will take up their posts on Brighton & Hove’s beaches this weekend on Saturday 28 May, kicking off the summer season.
The new recruits will be joining Brighton & Hove City Council’s Seafront Team, to help ensure millions of visitors enjoy a safe and enjoyable time on the beach this summer.
Familiar faces
Many of the lifeguards will be familiar to regular beachgoers as they return to the job they enjoyed last year.
The new lifeguards will patrol the city’s beaches in zonal areas from Brighton Marina to Hove Lagoon. When the summer holidays begin on 23 July, lifeguards will be stationed on the extended beaches at Rottingdean and Saltdean.
Members of the diverse lifeguard team have all successfully completed a beach lifeguard qualification and induction course with the council’s Seafront Team. They have acquired a wide range of skills from assessing sea and weather conditions and dealing with beach hazards, to carrying out first aid and water rescues.
Saving lives
Every summer Brighton & Hove’s lifeguards deal with hundreds of incidents and save many lives. During last year’s summer season they:
- Saved 30 lives
- Responded to 188 incidents
- Administered first aid to around 238 beach goers
- Helped reunite 112 missing people
- Tackled 117 incidents of anti-social behaviour
- Handled 127 wildlife incidents
- Dealt with 24 mental health incidents
- Provided 30,034 preventative actions – one every 12 minutes
Easy to spot on the beach with their improved lifeguard observation towers, the lifeguards will be on duty each day from 10am to 6pm or 10.30am to 5.30pm, supporting the council’s year-round seafront team.
Dedicated team
Councillor Martin Osborne, co-chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee said: “Once again we are delighted to have recruited a dedicated team of lifeguards to patrol our popular beaches.
“The new lifeguards are committed to supporting our regular seafront officers in ensuring the millions of residents and visitors who flock to our beaches every summer, return home safe and happy.”
