South Walton lifeguards starting new season

[Walton Outdoors]

Eight regional beach accesses will have lifeguards starting March 7

A new season is about to begin for 2009. Starting March 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. lifeguards will be present at eight regional beach accesses: Inlet Beach, Santa Clara, Van Ness Butler Jr., Blue Mountain, Gulf View Heights, Ed Walline, Dune Allen and Miramar Beach public beach accesses.
South Walton Fire District and Beaches of South Walton Tourist Development Council are hosting an induction ceremony for the lifeguards who passed the rigorous training program on Friday, March 6, at 3:30 p.m.
The ceremony will be held at the Ed Walline Public Beach Access (corner CR 30A and CR 393 across from Gulf Place)

 

[Kurt]

Thanks Lori - if you happen to know which accesses will have the new beach wheelchairs, please let us know. I called last week but Gary was out and I forgot to call back.

 

[ameliaj]

Yes, please post the info on the wheel chairs. That sounds fabulous for my brother-in=law.

 

[SGB]

Look for the lifeguards in the first aid carts along the race course on Sunday. They're being nice enough to get up VERY early in the morning and help us out.

 

[Walton Outdoors]

Lots happening this year with SWFD


Lifeguard candidates go through final test March 5. See video below. Lori Ceier/WaltonOutdoors.com

• Lifeguard candidates make the grade

• Beach wheelchairs on the way

• Beach cam in the works


• SWFD has new website


Of the 45 candidates trying out for SWFD lifeguard this year, seven will be on the new roster. The finalists took their last test on March 6.
With Beach Safety Director, Gary Wise marking down their score, the finalists ran a 1.2 mile beach run, a 500 meter swim, one hour of board rescues and one hour of buoy rescues.
With the wind and chilly water temperatures, it looked tough out on the water, but Wise was confident the final seven would make it.
There will be a total of 30 lifeguards this year, with 16 on duty each shift during the hours of 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. along the eight regional beach accesses in South Walton.
The lifeguard locations are: Inlet Beach, Bramble Grove/Santa Clara Street, Van Ness Butler Jr., Blue Mountain, Gulf View Heights, Ed Walline, Dune Allen and Miramar Beach public beach accesses.

South Walton Fire District and Beaches of South Walton Tourist Development Council are hosting an induction ceremony for the lifeguards who passed the rigorous training program at Ed Walline Beach Access, March 6, at 3:30 p.m.
In addition to the lifeguards starting the season, SWFD will soon be offering beach wheelchairs for use at three locations: Miramar (Tower #8), Ed Walline (Tower #6) and Bramble Grove/Santa Clara Street (Tower #2). There is also a beach video cam in the works for this year.


[ame="http://vimeo.com/3490877"]SWFD lifeguard candidates take final test on Vimeo[/ame]
SWFD has just revamped their website: www.swfd.org, which has more public information available. Some of the enhancements include photo slide shows of the firefighters, EMTs and lifeguards in the line of duty.
Surf conditions, beach flag status, and other important information regarding our Fire District can be found on the website as well. Should you have any questions about SWFD Website services contact info@swfd.org.

 

[Kurt]

Back to the Beach - The News Herald

Bent over at the shoreline with her hands on her knees, Whitney Winkel caught her breath and watched gentle, emerald-green waves dissipate into froth at her feet. She was among 16 Walton County lifeguards-in-training who panted their way through various exercises last week afternoon at Ed Walline Beach, just days before the beginning of lifeguard season, which runs through September.
Terry Wallace, utility supervisor for the Navarre Beach, said six lifeguards started manning the two towers Friday. The construction of two more towers is expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks, he added. Six more lifeguards are expected to be hired this season.
In Destin, lifeguards return today, said Joe D'Agostino, beach safety division chief with the Destin Fire Department. He said six lifeguards will patrol the 6.8 miles of beach from East Pass to the Walton County line.
Five lifeguards work year-round on Okaloosa Island. But Tracy Vause, beach safety division chief for Okaloosa County, said starting on March 14 - the official launch of spring break - 12 lifeguards will be stationed at the 10 towers and the flag-warning system will be activated at public accesses.
The 31 Walton County lifeguards who will work the beaches this season were inducted this week during a ceremony at the Ed Walline Public Beach Access.
Beach safety director Gary Wise said two guards will be stationed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at each of the following eight towers:
l Inlet Beach;
l Santa Clara;
l Van Ness Butler;
l Blue Mountain;
l Gulf View Heights;
l Ed Walline;
l Dune Allen; and
l Miramar Beach.
Joe Serrato, a 22-year-old lifeguard who is returning for his fourth season, said the hardest part of the job is getting people to listen and pay attention to the red and yellow flags.
"They want to argue and you've gotta save them from themselves sometimes," he said. "That's hard to do when they've come down here and paid so much money to stay for a vacation and they can't even go in the ocean."
Wise said the lifeguards' ages range from 18 to 50, and the group was whittled down from a pool of 45 applicants.
The beach safety program is funded by the Beaches of South Walton Tourist Development Council through bed taxes paid by visitors, and is implemented by the South Walton Fire District.
Carley McMillian, the TDC's customer services coordinator, said the agency spends almost $627,000 a year for the lifeguard program. Another $182,000 is spent to help market and promote safety messages and other warning systems.
Kiosks where beachgoers can get information about safety conditions have been installed at all eight beach accesses, she said.

 

[scooterbug44]

What exactly do we need kiosks for? If they need to hand out literature can't they do so from somewhere on the existing structures and signboards?

It's great that they want to make people safer and that they are getting more lifeguards, but they need to remember people don't just go to the beach at these 8 spots.

 

[BeachSiO2]

What exactly do we need kiosks for? If they need to hand out literature can't they do so from somewhere on the existing structures and signboards?

The kiosks aren't the type you are thinking about. They are the existing signs with information that have been at the public beach accesses for a few years now.

 

[scooterbug44]

If they are the existing signs that have been there for years, why are they reporting that they have just been installed at these 8 locations?

 

[BeachSiO2]

If they are the existing signs that have been there for years, why are they reporting that they have just been installed at these 8 locations?

Good question, I read it as they exist but not necessarily just installed or new. I didn't read it the same way because I know that there have been kiosks with that information at all accesses for a number of years. It looks like we are interpreting the sentence differently and the writer doesn't have a time frame for reference. It would be nice if it was clearer.