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July 15, 2005
Lifeguard off duty?
Here's help
By RICHARD DEGENER
Staff Writer, (609) 463-6711, E-Mail
CAPE MAY - Beach Patrol Capt. Harry "Buzz" Mogck has a simple
reason for wanting lifeguards to respond to surf rescues after the
beaches are closed for the day. It's the same reason he doesn't
want to go into a burning building.
Without lifeguards on the scene, when someone saw a swimmer in
trouble and called 911, a firefighter used to end up rushing to the
beach to make the save. Mogck knows firefighters do their best, but
they don't train in the surf every day.
"I don't want to go into a burning fire because I don't know what
to do, and a fireman doesn't want to go into the water," Mogck
said.
This thinking has helped make Cape May the latest in a growing
number of New Jersey shore towns with a program for after-hours
beach rescues. The city now has a pager system to signal lifeguards
when a swimmer gets in trouble after the lifeguards have gone
home.
The first test came last week when four girls from Ohio entered the
water after 8 p.m. and were quickly swept offshore. Lifeguards were
paged. The girls were saved, bringing praise from Mogck and Cape
May Fire Chief Jerry Inderwies Jr.
"That proved it does work. The paging system is an excellent idea,
but getting to the beach takes time," Mogck said.
That is why Mogck hopes to take the new system a step further. He
wants to keep lifeguards in beach patrol headquarters after hours.
Beaches would not be officially guarded, but a lifeguard would be
close by and ready to respond.
Inderwies supports the idea but wants to follow the lead of Ocean
City, with more lifeguard training and equipment for firefighters.
This works well in Ocean City, partly because the city's Beach
Patrol is within the Fire Department. There is no guarantee
lifeguards in off hours, or during September and October when a
growing number of swimmers go into hurricane-tossed seas, will be
there in time. In Cape May, paid firefighter/EMTs are always on
duty.
"We need guaranteed help. We can't wing it," Inderwies said.
In the old days, everybody winged it. There was no system in place
after beaches closed, and people drowned. A series of deaths in the
1990s, after Labor Day when hurricanes were stirring up the
Atlantic, led to New Jersey's first after-hours rescue program. It
started a decade ago when Avon By-The-Sea, Ocean Grove and Neptune
Township, all in Monmouth County, formed the Area Network Shore
Emergency Response, or ANSER.
"In the mid-90s we had a lot of drownings. They would dispatch
police and firefighters. We had a couple police officers go in the
water, and we almost lost them along with the victims," said Tim
Gallagher, the city manager of Avon By-The-Sea.
The answer was an electronic paging system to bring lifeguards,
EMTs and a dive team to the beach. Police and firefighters still
responded but could deal with issues such as crowd control and did
not have to go into the water. Gallagher said they figured a
five-minute response was needed to save lives, and the program has
averaged even shorter times.
"We've been doing it in two to three minutes. I'm talking 3 a.m.,
or anytime," Gallagher said.
Bradley Beach and Neptune City have both joined ANSER, while
separate after-hours programs have begun in nearby towns of Belmar,
Sea Girt, Manasquan and Spring Lake.
The model program in southern New Jersey is in Ocean City, where
firefighters are taking rookie lifeguard training. Beach Patrol
Training Officer Bob Ogoreuc trains the firefighters. All the fire
trucks are equipped with surf rescue gear, and the firefighters
know how to use it.
After hours, one Ocean City Beach Patrol administrator is in
charge. That officer brings home a hand-held radio used to
communicate with firefighters or other Beach Patrol officers.
The Ocean City firefighters even have equipment a lifeguard would
not be likely to use during a rescue by day. Ogoreuc said the
firefighters have scuba training, and they use lightweight gear
with small air tanks - about 10 minutes of air - so they can rescue
people who slip under the waves.
"It's not as cumbersome as scuba gear, and there isn't much air.
It's not for the recovery of a body but to rescue somebody. This is
cutting-edge," Ogoreuc said.
The fire trucks also have rescue cans, flotation vests, and reels
of rope. The rope can be connected to the rescuer so firefighters
on land can reel firefighter and victim back in. The department
also has a rigid-hull inflatable boat, and after the beach season,
one of the Beach Patrol's Jetskis. Firefighters are even issued
board shorts and rash guards.
Inderwies has come to see the Ocean City operation and hopes to get
similar equipment. Like Ocean City, Cape May has the luxury of
having paid firefighters who are always on duty. Even volunteer
fire companies can take steps for after-hours rescues, although the
response time could be less.
Besides calling the Coast Guard for help, all shore towns can now
get help from a New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau
program that responds, usually by sea, to people who are drowning.
The troopers are now taking lifeguard training in Long Beach
Township. The bureau has been working with Ocean City and
Brigantine, and, like the U.S. Coast Guard, now has rescue swimmers
ready to go into the water to save people.
The State Police Marine Bureau in Atlantic City has trained with
Ocean City for three years now and is ready to help out. Trooper
John Schreiner said it doesn't matter who does the work or gets the
credit as long as somebody is saved.
"Troopers, fire department, Coast Guard and beach patrol are all
working together," Schreiner said.
One issue that could crop up as after-hours programs come online is
whether it makes shore towns more liable for such swimmers. Is
having a program to protect them giving them carte blanche to take
the risk of swimming on unguarded beaches?
"No, because we're not opening the beaches. We're just there in
case somebody gets in trouble," Mogck said.
Gallagher said it might reduce a town's liability since a police
officer or firefighter may not end up drowning. There's some
liability when a police officer drops his gun belt on the beach and
heads into the water.
"There's less liability because there's better responders,"
Gallagher said.
To e-mail Richard Degener at The Press
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