Lifeguards Rescue Thousands Each Year

Now that Hermosa Beach is in the height of summer, Los Angeles County lifeguards are as busy as ever patrolling the local coast.

While Hermosa’s beaches are city-owned, the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Service monitors the area. The county's  sits next to the Hermosa Beach Pier.

Last year, county lifeguards completed 7,029 rescues on county beaches, according to the latest numbers from the United States Lifesaving Association.

The association annually polls its chapters for the number of rescues, drownings, and other statistical information reported by lifeguard agencies, according to its website.

The group notes that the primary cause of a rescue might be a rip current, high surf, or the rescue of a scuba driver brought to safety by a lifeguard.

A rescue “usually involves physical contact. Does not include people who are given oral instructions to move to a safer location,” according to the association.

Last year’s rescue figures were the first drop in the number of rescues the county has seen in five years. In 2005, the association recorded 7,150 rescues. The year before, the total number of rescues was 11,099.

Then in 2006, rescue numbers rose to 10,101. In 2007, the number rose again to 10,237; then 12,282 in 2008; and 12,686 in 2009.

Out of the countywide numbers, about 1,000 rescues are made yearly in Hermosa Beach, according to the Los Angeles County Coastal Monitoring Network.

The U.S. Lifesaving Association also records the county’s number of boat rescues; boat assistance, and medical aid responses. Drowning deaths are also documented along with enforcement (such as citations or arrests) and public education efforts.

Most of the lifeguards each year in the county respond to medical emergencies. Last year, there were 15,624 medical aid cases—2,960 of them were classified as major, while the rest were minor.

There was one reported drowning death on a guarded beach last year. 

See accompanying reports of the Los Angeles County lifeguard’s statistics from 2005 to 2010, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association, under photo.