Los Angeles County Lifeguards is a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The lifeguard operations safeguard 31 miles (50 km) of beach and 72 miles (116 km) of coastline, from San Pedro in the south, to Malibu in the north.[2] The Los Angeles County Lifeguards are the largest professional lifeguard service in the world, and as of 2021, employs 174 full-time lifeguards and 614 recurrent lifeguards.[1]
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| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County |  Los Angeles |
| Agency overview | |
| Established | 1914 |
| Employees | 788 lifeguards[1] (2021) |
| Staffing | Combination (Recurrent & Career) |
| EMS level | Basic Life Support (BLS) & Advanced Life Support (ALS)[citation needed] |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Stations | 24 lifeguard stations, 159 lifeguard towers[1] (2021) |
| Fireboats | 8[1] (2021) |
| Website | |
| fire.lacounty.gov | |
The Los Angeles County Lifeguards served as the model for the hit television series Baywatch which was created by recurrent lifeguard Gregory J. Bonann.[3]
Los Angeles County Lifeguards also provide marine firefighting, paramedic, and fire boat services to Catalina Island, with operations out of Avalon and the Isthmus[clarification needed].[4] Other daily fire boat services operate out of Los Angeles Harbor (Baywatch Cabrillo), King Harbor (Baywatch Redondo), Marina Del Rey (Baywatch Del Rey and Baywatch Santa Monica) and Malibu Pier (Baywatch Malibu). In addition to providing marine firefighting, LA County Lifeguards have specialized training for fire boat operations
Prior to July 1, 1994, Los Angeles County Lifeguards were part of the Department of Beaches and Harbors.[5]
Ranks
edit| Rank | Description |
|---|---|
| Chief, Lifeguard Services | Directs the Lifeguard Division of the Fire Department. |
| Assistant Chief, Lifeguard Services | Assists in the management of the Lifeguard Division of the Fire Department. |
| Section Chief, Lifeguard Services | Manages and supervises all rescue and lifesaving operations for a section of ocean shoreline. |
| Ocean Lifeguard Captain/Rescue Boat Captain | Supervises all ocean lifeguard personnel assigned to one area of a beach or to a section's headquarters on a day and/or night shift. Commands and operates a rescue boat engaged in rescue operations in the coastal waters of Los Angeles County. |
| Ocean Lifeguard Specialist | Performs specialized ocean lifeguard and rescue duties. |
| Ocean Lifeguard | Performs lifeguard and ocean rescue duties on an assigned section of ocean beach. |
| Ocean Lifeguard Candidate | Participates in an intensive training program in advanced ocean lifeguarding and emergency medical treatment. |
Organization
editThe Los Angeles County Lifeguards's beach operations are structured across two operational battalions:[7]
- Marine Battalion 100, covering the beaches of Cabrillo, Torrance, Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Dockweiler, and Catalina Island.
- Marine Battalion 300, covering beaches including Venice, Santa Monica, Topanga, Malibu and Zuma.
Each Marine Battalion is overseen by a section chief. Each beach within a Battalion's responsibility is overseen by an ocean lifeguard captain. Each beach is split into sections, managed by ocean lifeguard specialists.
The Los Angeles County Lifeguards are supported by specialist teams including:
- Rescue Boat Section, operating the Division's fleet of Baywatch Rescue Boats
- Swiftwater Rescue Teams, responsible for performing rescues in natural and man-made waterways across Los Angeles County
- Underwater Rescue & Recovery Unit (URRU)[8]
- Catalina Paramedic Operations, responsible for providing emergency medical services, marine fire-fighting, cliff rescue and high-angle rescue to the residents of Catalina Island
Equipment
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Watercraft
edit- Rescue Watercraft,[9] used to perform ocean rescues, assist swift-water incidents, transport dive team members, and provide water safety for events.
- 32-34 ft Baywatch Rescue Boat,[10] used to provide emergency medical services and marine search and rescue response.
Vehicles
edit- Ford Escape Hybrid (2008–2014)
- Ford Ranger (1994–2002)
- Ford Expedition
- Ford F-350 Super Duty
- Nissan Frontier (2003–2008)
- Toyota Tacoma (2015–present)
- Toyota Tundra (2015–present)
- Toyota Sequoia (2015–present)
All Toyota Tacoma trucks are currently assigned a sectional beach in Los Angeles County since deploying its new vehicle since 2015.[citation needed]
Lifeguard uniforms
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The following categories of lifeguard clothing in sufficient quantities to fully annually outfit 760 male lifeguards and 136 female lifeguards, which numbers can change each agreement year based upon the workforce composition then in employment, as ordered by the county including the following[clarification needed]:
- Short-sleeve and long-sleeve polo shirts;
- Volley swim trunks;
- Board shorts;
- One-piece and two-piece women's swimsuits;
- Micro-fleece with half-zipper;
- Windbreaker pants;
- Baseball caps, knit cap, and floppy hats
- Lightweight windbreaker jackets;
- Heavyweight jackets; and
- Rashguards
Badges and patches
editMost lifeguards are wearing a departmental badge that consists of a shield surmounted by a bear, and is silver-colored metal. The words "County of Los Angeles" appear on a ribbon at the top of the badge just under the bear, followed by ribbons with the words "Fire Department" appearing just above the seal of the county. The title of the position of the person is inscribed on a ribbon placed just below the county's seal and the serial number of the badge appears at the bottom of the badge below the title of the position. The words "Ocean Lifeguard Specialist", "Ocean Lifeguard", "Captain" and "Chief" may also appear on the face of badges issued to employees or retired employees authorized by the Fire Department and board of supervisors to carry such badges.[citation needed]
Shoulder patches
editLos Angeles County lifeguards wear a patch on their left sleeve that reads "County of Los Angeles Fire Dept. Lifeguard".[11] Lifeguards that are licensed as paramedics wear a similar patch that identifies them as such.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "2021 County of Los Angeles Fire Department Annual Report" (PDF). Los Angeles County Fire Department. July 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "County of Los Angeles Fire Department". County of Los Angeles Fire Department. 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (2017-05-28). "'Baywatch' Origin Story: How One Lifeguard Turned His Dream Into A Hassle That Paid Hoff". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
- ^ "Catalina Islands Baywatch". ecatalina.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "Lifeguard History - Los Angeles County Fire Department". Archived from the original on 2017-03-17.
- ^ "Your Path to Becoming an Ocean Lifeguard" (PDF). Los Angeles County Fire Department. 19 September 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Lifeguard Division Overview, 28 February 2023, retrieved 2024-01-15
- ^ Carrillo, Adam (2020-02-21). "County of Los Angeles Fire Department". County of Los Angeles Fire Department. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
- ^ Rescue Watercraft, 8 March 2023, retrieved 2024-01-15
- ^ Baywatch Rescue Boats, 20 April 2023, retrieved 2024-01-15
- ^ http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/9REAAOSwjXRXZd9s/s-l1600.jpg [bare URL image file]
- ^ http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/qGUAAOSwMNxXZd-b/s-l1600.jpg [bare URL image file]
External links
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- Los Angeles County Fire Department
- Watch the Water – a public safety program