Lifeguards seek more beach coverage

Several lifeguards and surfers are calling for extended coverage of Oahu’s beaches, a move they contend would help save more lives and educate more residents and tourists about the dangers of high surf and rough conditions.

Brian Keaulana, a retired city lifeguard captain and veteran waterman, recalled instances where he and others would jump in to help rescue beachgoers before and after lifeguards were on duty. Keaulana, who helps to train lifeguard recruits and personal watercraft operators, pointed out that “the hazards always exist,” adding that many lifeguards risk their lives to monitor the shorelines on their own time.

A lifeguard stays after work because he doesn’t “want that conscience to be upon him. It’s not about the money. It’s about a human life,” Keaulana said. “You’re only as good as your backup.”

A City Council resolution urging the administration to extend the hours lifeguards are on duty is generating support from surfers, lifeguards and some officials. Introduced by Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, Resolution 16-43 also requests that the city seek necessary funding for extended coverage and to negotiate with the Hawaii Government Employees Association during the collective bargaining process.

The resolution was reported out of the Council’s Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee on Tuesday for adoption at the Council’s next meeting.

“If we really want to have truly a safe city and do a good job servicing not just our visitors, but our locals as well, we need to start a discussion of how we can expand lifeguard hours,” Pine said at Tuesday’s meeting. “I think it’s very clear, looking at this surf season alone, that we are having too many of our own lifeguards putting themselves at risk after hours.”

The city employs about 140 lifeguards who are stationed at 29 beaches, covering about 200 miles of coastline. They generally work from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Supervisors have the authority to extend hours during high surf and rough conditions but not on a regular basis. When lifeguards ask to stay past their shifts permission is granted in the majority of cases.

Ian Santee, deputy director of the city Emergency Services Department, said the agency supports the intent of the resolution, but added there are logistics that would need to be worked out, such as budget constraints, the readjustment of work shifts and union negotiations. He said the department would need to hire at least 40 to 50 more lifeguards to cover shifts from sunrise to sunset, which would cost about $3.5 million in salaries alone.

“The city’s primary purpose is public safety. But however, we need to make sure that all agencies are covered and there is a reason and a rhyme for doing what we do,” Santee told Council members. “It’s not something that can happen overnight. We are definitely open to suggestions and meeting with the union and so forth.”

Santee suggested that moving toward extended coverage could be achieved in phases, adding that certain beaches such as Hanauma Bay and Waikiki are already staffed with lifeguards starting from 7 to 8 a.m. He said the department’s long-term plan calls for more personal watercraft and an expansion of services.

But Pine said she hopes the city can look into extending lifeguard hours while not cutting other emergency services.

Oahu is divided into four operational districts: South Shore, from Pearl Harbor to Maunalua Bay; Windward, from Maunalua Bay to Mokapu Peninsula; North Shore, from Mokapu Peninsula to Kaena Point; and Leeward, from Kaena Point to Pearl Harbor. There are about 30 lifeguards who are trained to operate personal watercraft, and the department gets two new personal watercraft every year to supplement older models.

According to the state Department of Health, drowning has been the fifth leading cause of deaths in Hawaii since 1995. Almost half of the people who drown in the state are Hawaii residents. On Oahu 273 people drowned from 2005 to 2014.

Kirk Ziegler, a 10-year lifeguard stationed on the North Shore, said he goes to the beach when he is off duty and scans the area to ensure everyone’s safe.

“We’re not lifeguards 9 to 5. We’re lifeguards all the time,” Ziegler said Tuesday. “The last thing we do is we look at the water when we leave going, ‘God, I can’t believe we’re leaving right now.’ The longer we’re there (on duty at the beach), the more we can educate the public and take care of our family here on the island.”

Keone Downing, an avid surfer and past winner of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave contest, echoed similar points, adding that lifeguards are his heroes.

“As we go forward in our growth of population of local, as well as tourism alike, what value is one of those lives worth?” Downing said. “I know if we have the opportunity to be able to be there for that person, the amount of money doesn’t matter.”

Mark Cunningham, a retired lifeguard who spent 20 years covering the North Shore, said Tuesday he supports a four-day, 10-hour workweek, which would allow guards to recuperate and could decrease sick leave.