SOUTH PADRE ISLAND SOUTH PADRE ISLAND BEACH PATROLBEACH PATROL

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND SOUTH PADRE ISLAND SURF RESCUESURF RESCUE

SPI Beach Patrol HistorySPI Beach Patrol History

Established in 2008

Began with a “roving beach patrol”

Thousands of visitors come to the Thousands of visitors come to the island to enjoy the quality of the island to enjoy the quality of the

beachesbeaches

With the enjoyment of the With the enjoyment of the beaches comes riskbeaches comes risk

There have been multiple drownings on the beaches of South Padre Island over the last five years. All but one has been on the unprotected beaches outside the city limits of SPI.

Unintentional Fatalities 2005 (% of sub-categories):Unintentional Fatalities 2005 (% of sub-categories):Drowning deaths represent the highest percentage of all Drowning deaths represent the highest percentage of all

unintentional fatalities.unintentional fatalities.

Drowning45%

Motor Vehicle19%

Personal Watercraft2%

Vessel8% Other

8%

Aircraft9%

Fall9%

Aircraft

Drowning

Fall

Motor Vehicle

Personal Watercraft

Vessel

Other

What’s the Risk?What’s the Risk?

The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that approximately 60% - 80% of beaches in the U.S. are unguarded.

The USLA has estimated that the chances of drowning at a beach that is protected by lifeguards to be less than one in 18 million.

National Center for Health National Center for Health Statistics & C.D.C. (’00-’01)Statistics & C.D.C. (’00-’01)

About 4,000 people die from drowning in the United States each year.

Males account for over 75% of all drownings each year.

National Center for Health National Center for Health Statistics & C.D.C. (’00 – ’01)Statistics & C.D.C. (’00 – ’01)

Approximately 50% - 75% of all drownings occur in open water.

Alcohol use is involved in about 25% to 50% of adolescent and adult deaths associated with water recreation.

Current safety issuesCurrent safety issuesLarger, more concentrated crowds Resulting in resources being utilized in those areas leaving other areas of the beach unprotected

Additional responsibilitiesAdditional responsibilities

Lost childrenMinor First Aid Care

Proposed Improvements to Proposed Improvements to response capabilitiesresponse capabilities

Mitigating the Drowning RiskMitigating the Drowning Risk

Through Staffing & Equipment: Add more Lifeguards to the Program Increase Lifeguard stand/tower coverage Continue vehicle beach Patrols Deploy the Rescue Boat and/or Personal

Watercraft as soon as the possibility of need exists

Additional lifeguardsAdditional lifeguards

Seven new lifeguard standsSeven new lifeguard stands

Stands to be placed at points Stands to be placed at points of most visitor concentrationof most visitor concentration

Maintain two beach patrol Maintain two beach patrol vehicles staffed by two personnelvehicles staffed by two personnel

Additional rescue equipmentAdditional rescue equipment

Maintain all additional resourcesMaintain all additional resources

Rescue Watercraft and Zodiac beach boat

Current rescue staffingCurrent rescue staffing

March to end of May:

2 guards weekdays – 4 guards weekends

Spring Break: 17 weekdays – 10 weekends

June to Labor Day:

4 weekdays – 6 weekends

Proposed StaffingProposed Staffing

March 1 to Memorial Day:

4 weekdays to increase based on number of visitors.

8 weekends

Memorial Day to Labor day:

7 during week – 12 on weekends

Staffing IncreaseStaffing Increase

March to Memorial Day – Increase of 6 per week

Memorial Day to Labor Day – Increase of 9 per week