Recruitment issue as lifeguards return to Irish beaches

This weekend lifeguards have returned to their posts on beaches across Ireland for the summer season.

It comes as thousands have taken to the seaside to relax and enjoy themselves over the Bank Holiday.

Ross McGrane is one of the lifeguards who is back, and he was overlooking the Bull Wall on Dublin’s northside on Saturday morning.

Mr McGrane was one of two people who were keeping watch between the Bull Wall and Dollymount Strand, which is one of the country’s busiest beaches.

Normally there are seven lifeguards on duty, however recruitment has been an issue for councils all over Ireland in recent years and the Dublin beach was no exception.

Last year a number of areas were left unsupervised despite strong recruitment campaigns from councils.

Mr McGrane said that he believes there are a number of reasons for the shortage, but added that he thinks the role is a “no brainer” for young people.

He told RTÉ’s This Week: “We’re short lifeguards. Some couldn’t make their fitness tests, some for whatever reasons of their own just couldn’t make it across the line this year.

“But I think it’s a no brainer, especially for young people to come down and get swimming and get involved in the action.

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“I don’t think [the role] is promoted enough to be honest. People don’t understand what’s on offer.

“The lifestyle, we train for speedboats and quads, we are supported in so many ways in training.”

Mr McGrane works poolside during the winter, but loves being outside and described being a lifeguard as his dream job.

He studied sports therapy in college and said that he loves being out in the elements.

“We are looking after the community, trying to prevent accidents. The water is our remit but we look after people from all walks of life.

“We try and prevent accidents from happening, that would be my main job here.

“We have elderly people who come down and walk in the water who might fall and not be able to get back up. You can drown in two or three feet of water.

“Then you got teenagers coming down, they swim out with the tide but when they try to get back in they don’t have the strength.

“So we’re keeping an eye on the water all the time, there’s always danger down here.

“We’re highly trained and dedicated to preventing accidents and when a rescue does occur we are well trained and equipped to proceed. We do drills with the fire brigade and guards here and for young people I’d encourage them to get down and get fit.”

RNLI anticipating more callouts over long weekend

For those working in the emergency services the long weekends can be busy.

The RNLI said that it was anticipating a higher amount of callouts, and its members have been warning people to be aware of the dangers of the sea.

They have urged people to check the tides, not to use inflatables, and not to swim or enter any water if they have taken alcohol.

Alcohol is a factor in one in three drownings, according to Water Safety Ireland.

Water Safety Education Manager for the RNLI Killian O’Kelly said: “There’s a reason we have drink driving laws in this country and that’s because people are not very good at driving cars when they’re drunk.

“You’re not very good at swimming or doing anything in the water if you’ve consumed alcohol.

“Water and alcohol do not mix. The likelihood of you getting overwhelmed is far greater if you have alcohol taken and your body’s ability to deal with falling [into water] is far less.”

Cold water shock

Mr O’Kelly also said people should educate themselves on what to do if they find themselves in water unintentionally.

According to Water Safety Ireland, 56.6% of drownings from 2017-2021 involved people who were on land but found themselves in the water by accident.

He said: “They were on a beach, they were on a pier, they were on a canal, or by a lake. They weren’t in their swimsuit or a wetsuit going into the water.

“It’s sometimes as simple as people falling into the water, and because the water is cold in Ireland you can get shock.

“Three different things happen to your body. First of all you’ll get a gasp reflex, secondly your heart rate will double, and thirdly your blood pressure will increase.

“Those things happen to you, you don’t get a choice in it. And those three things happening to you, even if you’re a good swimmer, can bring on panic and it’s the panic that can cause the drowning.

“If you find yourself in that situation what we suggest is ‘Float to Live’.”

FLOAT is an acronym, Mr O’Kelly said.

F for ‘Fight your instinct to panic or swim’.

L is for ‘lean back’ – which includes getting your ears in the water.

O is for ‘open up’,

A is for ‘action’ (paddling with your hands and kicking your legs to stay at surface).

T is for ‘time’, which he said is the most important part.

“After about 90 seconds to two minutes of floating you will undo the effect of cold water shock. You will not be gasping any more, your heart rate will come back down and your blood pressure will come back down.

“If you are able to swim you will [then] be able to rescue yourself. But the important thing is to get your breathing under control. If you keep calm and get your breathing under control you will be able to self-rescue.”

Cut off by tide

Colm Newport is Lifeboat Operations Manager for the RNLI in Howth.

He said that the crew are on “high alert” for calls through the weekend, and added that one of the most common reasons they get called out is to help people find themselves cut off by rising tides.

He recalled one incident in which some young people tried to walk from Portmarnock to Sutton during a rising tide and got cut off.

Three were safe when they arrived, but one boy was still missing.

The teenager was later found clinging to a buoy and the crew saved his life.

“The mean rise and fall, which is the difference between high water and low water here, is about 3.5m. A lot of people don’t understand that.

“So if they go to the beach it looks great at 10am in the morning, they go about their business, and in five hours time that’s a different area. It’s covered in water and they’re not expecting it.”

Inflatables

Howth crewmember Ian Martin said that they have also come to the rescue of people who were swept out on inflatables on occasion.

He said such toys should only ever be used in pools.

“What we tend to find is they can get blown out with the conditions. So if the wind is blowing away from the beach that can be quite dangerous, and people don’t realise how far away they are drifting.

“We have been tasked recently and in the past to calls like that. It’s quite dangerous because they tend to go out with no comms or communication. They don’t know how to contact the shore and are relying on someone to spot them and raise the alarm.”