No Beach Flags

[Bob Wells]

Beach flags were called twice a day, 09:00 and 13:00. If you want the flags changed, 267-1090 is the office number. Only one lifeguard on year round payroll, Gary Wise, and sometimes there are ten peices of Emergency equipment changing flags. As for who pays, the TDC has a contract with SWFD as I understand it, I also don't believe they were over budget for this service and SWFD was low bidder as I understand it. Although I could be wrong.

 

[enfuego]

This is crazy! I understand the finances behind it -- but I think they are better ways to adjust that than to do away with the program all together. If the flags aren't consistantly there than you loose the ability to rely on them!

The program is not going away all together as indicated yesterday. The conditions as I understand it are still monitored twice a day. Signs explaining the flags and that they are not always present are posted and lifeguard are not on duty during this timeframe. Locals-who help our visitors understand this. Those that get into trouble with or without flags are still helped when 911 is called.

 

[NotDeadYet]

Anybody care to guess what it costs the county to have firefighters and the truck go to each flag 2 times a day?

I always thought this was a crazy way to do it. Buy a Prius and a radio and hire someone who could use a job, send the bill to the TDC. What they threw away on the big blue signs would pay for that for, oh, a few years anyway.

The way I read what was posted here, flags are not recommended on beaches without lifeguards. So what happens when summer comes? Are the only flags going to be where the lifeguards are, which, it seems, are the places they are needed the least?

I don't see lifeguards anywhere else anytime soon. As has been discussed on many threads, the accesses may be public, but the beaches are not necessarily so. Besides which, you cannot put lifeguards where there are no restrooms.

I have seen lots of people in the water lately.

 

[scooterbug44]

We've had flags on the beaches for years w/o lifeguards, so my BS meter is pinging that they are using that as the reason for discontinuing the program now.

We've spent years and millions implementing this system, and now that it's standard and well known we are stopping it because of how much time/manpower it takes and the fact that there aren't lifeguards at all these locations? Nope. Sell crazy somewhere else.

There are plenty of employees whose job is already to patrol the beach in provided vehicles - if manpower is an issue perhaps we could just use one vehicle and one person instead of a fleet of specialized vehicles and a brigade of personnel.

 

[rdelong43065]

Why is it everyone thinks that the flags are changed two times a day every day? The conditions are checked 2 times a day and the flags are changed only when there is a change in conditions. The flags can stay yellow for long periods without needing to be changed.

 

[wrobert]

Winter tourists are smarter and more capable swimmers?

Here I was trying to be funny and Enfuego goes and gives me a red chiclet. So I guess if we are going to play that way..........


Just to make sure we understand here.

No Beach Flags 01-01-2009 11:33 AM SoWal Beaches Forum That is offensive

If you think that is offensive, hold on to your socks, big boy.

 

[wrobert]

Those that get into trouble with or without flags are still helped when 911 is called.

And those that are in trouble but fail to call 9-1-1?

 

[wrobert]

The program is not going away all together as indicated yesterday. The conditions as I understand it are still monitored twice a day. Signs explaining the flags and that they are not always present are posted and lifeguard are not on duty during this timeframe. Locals-who help our visitors understand this. Those that get into trouble with or without flags are still helped when 911 is called.

What do you do if the local and the tourist can not read the sign?

 

[wrobert]

okay, let's go with pulling pieces/parts out of the report from the "fair and balanced" media...

According to the International Life Saving Federation, safety flags should only be flown on beaches with on-duty lifeguards.

Does this mean that we should consider just not having the flags at all?

 

[rdelong43065]

Here is the link to the International Life Saving Federation articles on beach flags. A lot of information on there.

http://www.ilsf.org/rescue/iso-standards-beach-safety-information-flags