SOS Lifeguards for Ludington: Saving People not Ships

[XLFD]

Grassroots Effort to Build Awareness of Lifeguards at Stearns's Park Future

 

August 3, 2011, LUDINGTON, Mich. - In an effort to build awareness and support of the continued operation of the lifeguards at Ludington's city park beyond the 2010-2011 Budget Cuts, 6 members of the community have joined together to begin a grassroots effort- Save Our Swimmers!

 

Blog magnate XLFD, Dr. Edie Lindsey, Aquaman, Dave, Max, and Victoria George Cook have come together to spread the message that the Ludington Area needs the lifeguards at Ludington to continue operations beyond 2011 in order to remain a competitive player in the region’s tourism and manufacturing industries.

 

“There is a real possibility that the lifeguards may have to remain out of operation in 2012, but we are hopeful that the S.O.S. campaign will help demonstrate that our communities need the Stearn's beach lifeguards and influence wealthy cronies and the local government to come to an acceptable solution to continue operations”, XLFD, creator of the Ludington Torch said.

 

The S.O.S. Task Force has teamed up with Mayor Justin Nickels' poolboy from the City of Manitowoc and other members of the community to take on this issue together, as the Ludington lifeguard operations affect both communities.

 

“Our lifeguards are an important asset to both of our communities and surrounding regions,” XLFD said. “We look forward to working together with Manitowoc and bringing light to the issue at hand”.

 

“The lifeguard program really is the anchor of our community; it is the cultural, historical and economic centerpiece of Ludington” Dr. Edie Lindsey, SOS Task Force member and co-owner of a Dell computer said.

 

“The Save Our Swimmers campaign is focused on informing the public of the issue and gathering the community together to make sure that in the end, the lifeguards remains in service”, Victoria George Cook, co-owner of a fancy automobile added.

 

Save Our Swimmers is the beneficiary of the online auction of authentic lifeguard and beach artifacts taking place now through August 26th 6pm ET at www.ludingtonlifeguardstore.com/auction. Items include a life ring, rare photographs, captain’s jackets, swimsuits and many more historic artifacts.

 

The community is encouraged to get involved and join the S.O.S. Team help SAVE OUR SWIMMERS by visiting the S.O.S. website, www.soslifeguards4Lud.com.

 

[The above websites are not active, it is a lampoon of a campaign (in honor of The Ludington Diaries).  The text is a slightly modified version of the SOS Badger campaign, a campaign to raise awareness of the upcoming 2012 deadline for that ship.  Whatever will happen with the Badger will be the end result of how those at Lake Michigan Carferry deal with the EPA's (a government agency) dictates. 

Ergo, the government may shut this enterprise down in the same manner the lifeguard program was disabled.  The EPA made their decision by considering the health and safety of citizens; the Ludington City Manager made his decision with the absence of such considerations-- supposed potential liability issues being more important. 

Mayor Henderson is on record saying that re-instituting the lifeguard program was the best thing he had done, and many agree.  He has plugged it after its successes, and before he left it  in the deep water last year, he had only praise for it. 

Now he, and several other city employees devote their time to raising funds for an awareness campaign for a private business, when we had three deaths and no lifeguards last year.  Would lifeguards have saved any of those who drowned?   Anthony Goldsmith, I'm convinced, would have never drowned, and he is the person in the big 'O'  2010 Drowning .  To all those that knew and loved the man, I extend an apology from this Ludington citizen, in that we failed to have lifeguards in place last year and now you have not had his presence for nearly a year.  And now the dangerous season begins.  Take care everyone.]

[Lisa O'Brien]

I think I will have to disagree with your analogy. Doctors are usually in there late 20's and up, whereas lifeguards are generally 18+. Doctors enjoy a large salary, whereas lifeguards earn what $10 an hr. Doctors don't risk their lives to save patients from dumb stunts and irresponsible decisions that people make. I do believe lifeguards are an important asset, but I certainly don't think they should have to risk their life to save an irresponsible idiot. These are young adults someone's child their life shouldn't be cut short because someone wants to swim 50 yds out in 6' - 8' waves.

[Robert]

What if these "idiots" were yours Lisa?

http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=299705&cID=1

 

 

 

[Lisa O'Brien]

As a matter of fact, my fiancee drowned in Hamlin Lake back in 2002. I said in an earlier post I feel sorry for their families they are the ones that have to deal/cope with the tragedy. But generally lifeguards at MIchigan beaches tend to be young adults and I see no reason they should risk their lives because someone else wanted to put theirs in danger.

[Lisa O'Brien]

Also those children were in a raft that got pulled by a rip current, not grown men who wanted to swim in 6' waves.

[XLFD]

I think I remember that event which happened just after Independence Day, Lisa.  That was so sad, and I am sure it must have been devastating to everyone who was out there. 

The lifeguards I've known here have usually been high school and college students who excelled in the swimming program of LHS, and believe in trying to keep people out of the water during bad conditions, and do their job more during less challenging conditions.

[Lisa O'Brien]

Yes July 5th.

 I have mixed feelings on a lifeguards duties. Yes they are there to save lives, but if someone puts themselves in a clearly dangerous situation as the 2 men did, I don't think we should risk a third life.

[XLFD]

I agree with Lisa's sentiment about lifeguards saving idiots who put themselves in danger, but what is the alternative?  The idiots drown, or others go out to try and save them without proper training or equipment, and so smart, good people drown who otherwise wouldn't.  That's one reason I like the idea of lifeguards-- they not only have a good shot at saving the idiots, but lessen the chance of good Samaritans dying as well.

I wouldn't have called them idiots in the water, but exactly one year ago, Anthony Goldsmith saw two people out in the water during riptide conditions struggling.   Anthony was there long enough to know they had no lifeguards at the park, and so without any equipment, this 44 y.o. went out to help.   He perished in the noble attempt. 

One year later, some are still wanting to pass this off as an unavoidable accident which would not have been mitigated differently by lifeguards.  I have put a FOIA request in process to get the police report from LPD.  As always, I want to know the truth.

[AQUAMAN]

I just wonder, I wonder how many if anyone on this forum has ever been a lifeguard themselves?  Went through the training and rigors of education, certification, and practice to exact the duties and responsibilities in person themselves, and know first-hand what those duties are. I only speak from my experience and training, and know this job is thankless, pays little, and most people don't appreciate us, until we save a life.  They think we're tan seekers and babe hunters. I'm speaking of course from a distant past, however, the qualifications and certification remains pretty much intact, except for the CPR and other added classes and duties one would expect in the updated profession. You can talk about idiots all you want, in our eyes, every swimmer is a human being, and we bet our lives on saving anyone and everyone without regard to these circumstances. The important X-factor was stated above, we mitigate and do everything possible to avoid carelessness at every instance known to us. Trouble is, there is always the inevitable and unavoidable that happens. Bottom line for me is this: heavily trafficed beaches known to have rip currents/undertoes/histories of violent waves and storms, don't go unprotected without lifeguards unless public officials and the public say it's nothing to worry about. Last year's fiascos in Ludington definitely tell the difference between good and poor judgements by city officials to hire these dedicated pro's for a required task of saving lives. Did they learn from it? Imho, NO! They put a new bandaid  on a patient that needs immediate surgery.

[Robert]

Well spoken AQUAMAN.

[XLFD]

I second that comment by Robert.  Aquaman has a great ability to see through the fog in issues, must be his lifeguard training and nautical experience.

The topic of having lifeguards on the beaches is something that needs to be discussed this fall at a City Council meeting.  If they make a list of the pros and cons, do a realistic cost-benefit analysis, and actually commit to the program by not making it so easy to cut out of the general fund, they should come to a logical conclusion to have lifeguards. 

And if they don't, well then we will at least know why they don't.  Two years without lifeguards and nobody at City Hall has made any public comments about why other than it being tough times for budgets.