The History of Lifeguarding
Lifeguards starting setting up on beaches as soon as swimming became a recreational sport in the early 1800s. Cases of drowning swept the U.S. and other parts of the world, and lifeguards--first commissioned by the police or national guard services--began protecting swimmers who struggled in the water.
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Early Rescuing
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According to the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), as early as the 1700s in America, men guarding the shorelines sent small, shallow boats called dories to save shipwrecked people yelling for help. These men gradually developed to become the United States Lifesaving Service. Since the 1700s, USLA lifeguards have saved over 100,000 people from drowning.
Early Lifeguarding
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According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) website, in the 1800s, when swimming (then known as bathing) became increasingly popular as a recreational activity in the United States, business owners built resorts in places like Atlantic City to attract summer vacationers to swim at the beach.
As the number of people playing and swimming in the ocean increased, so did drownings. According to American Red Cross data archives (1995), by the early 1900s as many as 9,000 people drowned each year in the United States alone.
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First Lifeguards
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As recreational swimming (bathing) became popular in the 1800s and drownings increased, beach-goers needed professional protection. Members of the U.S.Lifesaving Service---who gradually became vital parts of the U.S. Coast Guard---guarded and saved the lives of children and families swimming in the ocean. These men patrolling the beach with watchful eyes and binoculars were called lifeguards.
First Official Lifeguard
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According to the Atlantic City Museum website records, in 1855, New Jersey's Atlantic City council appointed William S. Cazier as the first "constable of the surf." With the opening of the Atlantic City boardwalk in 1872, the first organized volunteer lifeguard service formed to protect hundreds of bathing vacationers. In 1892 Atlantic City organized the first paid beach patrol.
California Lifeguarding
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Lifeguarding in San Diego began in 1918 as a result of one horrific day when 13 people drowned at Ocean Beach. Three lifeguards, appointed by the police department, started guarding the beach around Wonderland Park, a popular beach community. Lifeguard services soon expanded to include Old Mission Beach and La Jolla Cove.
Equipment
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According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) website, lifeguards first tried to reduce drownings by installing lifelines. Lifelines were ropes tied onshore to poles out in the water so swimmers could find and hold onto them if they got tired in the water or felt the tug of an undertow. However, swimmers still struggled to hold onto them when panicked.
Between 1910 and 1915, Duke Kahanamoku---the acclaimed Hawaiian surfer---introduced the rescue board, a buoyant board that a lifeguard could toss to a swimmer in distress. Contemporary lifeguards now have access to plastic rescue boards, tubes and rafts to save injured or struggling swimmers.
Advances
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The group now known as the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) was founded by members of a few California lifeguard agencies in 1918. The group enhances lifesaving efforts and drowning prevention, including teaching CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to all lifeguards, and tries to standardize beach lifeguard practices. The group educates the public about water safety and strives to improve professionalism among beach lifeguard organizations in the U.S.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit lifeguard image by xymm from Fotolia.com
