Dear Editor,
Lifeguards supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on requirements of their particular venue, and therefore overall enhance water safety.
Community and Government officials in various countries face decisions about whether to begin, retain, or discontinue lifeguarding services and wanting to know whether lifeguards are truly effective in preventing drowning and other aquatic mishaps, and whether the value of providing lifeguard protection outweighs the costs.
Most drowning's are preventable through a variety of strategies, one of which is to provide lifeguards in public areas where people are known to swim. Some estimates indicate that the chance of drowning at a beach protected by lifeguards can be less than one in 18 million.
Many people assume that drowning persons are easy to identify because they exhibit obvious signs of distress. Instead, people tend to drown quietly and quickly. Children and adults are rarely able to call out or wave their arms when they are in distress in water, and can submerge in 20-60 seconds.
A tourist died of a heart attack while swimming in the waters of Mullet Bay on October 27, and over the years we can go back and compile several other cases. The individual who was a cruise ship passenger from Canada was brought ashore by bystanders who initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but when emergency services arrived, the man in his late 50s to 60s and in good shape was pronounced dead.
Would things have turned out differently if there was a lifeguard at Mullet Bay, nobody will know for sure.
Sint Maarten as a tourism destination catering to over two million visitors a year needs to consider our own stance on having lifeguards at some of our most popular beaches that are frequented by residents and visitors such as Mullet Bay and Great Bay Beach.
As a tourist destination, having lifeguards would save lives and send a positive image to safety conscious tourists. In Bermuda lifeguards are mandatory and the Cayman Islands are studying this as well to also make it mandatory.
In the Cayman's lifeguards were introduced at the Turtle Farm's swimming area followed by recommendations from the cruise industry.
Evidence suggests according to a report, "Lifeguard Effectiveness: A Report of the Working Group," a publication of the National Center for Injury Prevention and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, that lifeguard services benefit safety by saving lives, lowering drowning rates, and preventing injuries in aquatic recreational environments. Lifeguards also indirectly provide economic and social benefits. They add to the savings in emergency medical care and long-term hospital treatment involving cases of near-drowning and alleviate emotional trauma and social costs to family and friends.
Our two ports of entry, the Harbour and the Airport, the main gateways to our destination, should consider setting up a joint lifeguard program for the country. They both have the financial resources to do so and it will also add to the positive image that both ports of entry have with visitors to the destination.
At the same time, it creates employment opportunities for our nation's youth, a win-win for all.
Roddy Heyliger