Hail the Chief!

News Flash!

Our new (interim) Lifeguard Chief, Barry Nugent, is an active veteran LACo Recurrent Beach Lifeguard!  Woo Hoo!  How AWESOME is that?!...   Forty plus combined years of experience as both an L.A. City and LACo recurrent and permanent beach lifeguard and an LACo firefighter and most recently Assistant Chief, Fire Operations - Division 1, for the LACo Fire Department.

x-ref:   Assistant Chief Barry Nugent Celebrates Forty Years Of Service

             http://fire.lacounty.gov/FD_rtls/home_story50-4.asp

And for all you Dorymen out there... and we love you boaties for your courage, enthusiasm and fearlessness, be advised that Chief Barry Nugent is a Doryman from way back!  Check this photo out below which is framed and proudly installed on Chief Nugent's office wall at Division, showing him with his dory partner, Tom Allen Sena, from "back in the day" at Dockweiler.  Talk about "credibility" and "lifeguard chops".

L2R: Tom Allen Sena and Barry Nugent at Dockweiler, circa early 1970's. Photo courtesy of Chief Nugent.

We forwarded this photo to Tom on the Big Island of Hawaii and he confirmed the photo's vintage, e.g., "Yes Dockweiler, Del Rey, and it was '72 or '73."  Tom was really stoked to see this great photo of him and Barry from "back in the day" and he obligingly agreed to allow us to include his remarks below, as follows, in referring to this photo:

"Wow!  Bringing back such great memories. I had a few wonderful years posted at Del Rey Beach as a permanent guard.  I got to know Barry there, also a permanent guard (along with Rex Goble), our Lieutenant was Eddie Hoffman, a really good man to have worked under. The picture with Barry was us during the winter season, we would get wet every day no matter what the conditions. I think the coldest winter water we were in was down to 55, burr...  Some days swim, body surf, and we rowed regularly during the winter. After workouts we would turn the big headquarters shower into a steam room to warm up. I had done a lot of rowing the previous few years out of Venice,  and Barry wanted to row, so he was in the bow, and I steered and rowed stern, and we were a good team... he was big and strong in the bow, and could follow my pace perfect.

Barry, too bad we didn't get a picture of the giant (15-20ft) winter surf we went out and body surfed down south of Del Rey, I think it was El Porto? Boy, was that fun!

Aloha, Tom"

(*** Thanks Tom !  We really appreciate your participation in this blog post and your remarks about the good old days in Del Rey.)

We are thrilled to have Chief Nugent looking after things for our department and his commitment to lifesaving as both a Permanent Lifeguard and Recurrent Beach Lifeguard of many years.  And we understand that his son is a Southern Section Recurrent and still gets his days in when he is not working as a firefighter for the San Diego Fire Dept.  So needless to say, the "Recurrent Lifeguard" is an honored role in the Nugent family and a family tradition. 

I know I am not alone in thanking the LACo Fire Dept. for its (interim) selection of Chief Nugent who brings an inclusive, recurrent friendly composure to our Department.  We have a fantastic OLS Staff and our new Chief brings a great deal of credibility to his position because of his many years of service in Fire Operations and his role as Assistant Chief, not to mention the fact that Chief Nugent was previously a Permanent Lifeguard with both L.A. City and LACo before transferring to Fire Operations.  He, thus, also speaks the language and understands the "permanent perspective" and professionalism of our OLS Staff.  Plus, he lives and breathes the 'recurrent role" in lifeguarding!  Talk about the best of both worlds!

We are excited for the future of our department.  We anticipate that this particularly inclusive perspective will trickle down throughout our department.  At the same time, we would be remiss if we did not challenge our fellow recurrents to continue to step up to the plate each day and commit themselves to being the best "first responders" that they can be, to watch the water, and to stay in shape. 

10-4

Until next time.....


"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com

Service • Training • Commitment

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