Opinion/Editorial, by Bob Burnside

(Image Source above: "Commitment" Copyright Norton Wisdom 1994. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission. Do not reproduce without permission.)

At the special request of LACo Chief Lifeguard, Ret., Bob Burnside, we are publishing his recent Op./Ed. on the importance of all United States Ocean Lifeguards, whether active or retired, supporting the efforts of our National Lifeguard Organization, the U.S. Lifesaving Association (aka, USLA).

Bob's remarks, below, which appear in all bold face or highlighted text, were in immediate response to the recent article prepared by USLA President Chris Brewster's thoughts on the recent smear campaign against ocean lifeguards, esp. in Newport Beach, CA. This referenced article with Chris Brewster's remarks can be read at the following link:

AQUATICS INTERNATIONAL
EDITOR’S NOTE
Stop the Smear
The group behind the lifeguard pay smear aims to break unions, and they’ll use whatever they can to sway public opinion and dupe the media.
By Gary Thill | June 2011


http://www.aquaticsintl.com/2011/jun/1106_editor.html


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Editorial About Lifeguard Smear Campaign, by Bob Burnside:

"Great Article... Obviously, the USLA President Chris Brewster has stayed on top of this from the beginning... NOW It is time that The LA CO. Blog and all lifeguards media... need to "REMIND" all its members that they should step up and join the USLA, whether they are competitors or not! The USLA has been and still is the guardian of all lifeguards and a strong advocate for water safety Nationally and Internationally.

Frankly Will, It really rubs me wrong when we all have received and receive so much from lifeguarding... yet so many are too damn cheap to support "Our National Association". Instead they leave it up to a hand of dedicated men and woman who serve without any compensation to represent us all whenever a problem arises. The history of the USLA, and what it has done for lifeguards Nationally is well documented

"Get with it L.A.County Lifeguards!"... Sign up and become a member of "THE FAMILY OF LIFEGUARDS"...

The County has always been the leader, but it isn't just about winning the Lifeguard Championships... It's about supporting "ALL LIFEGUARDS"... which the USLA does!

LACO... be part of the family!

Bob Burnside

(Photo above shows Chief Bob Burnside, circa 2010. Courtesy of BB.)

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Notes:

(1) You can sign up for membership as active or retired at the USLA website at:



http://www.usla.org

An Annual Membership costs only $30 (Thirty Dollars)! I signed up a couple of months ago online at usla.org, which was really easy, and I recently picked up my USLA t-shirt, got some sunscreen too, and am going to get a beach towel as well! USLA Swag is at the top of any recurrent beach lifeguard's portfolio of lifeguard gear. Do NOT be left out! "County Recurrent" definitely supports the USLA!

(2) Just in from Kauai based/retired Zuma Recurrent/Surfing Legend, Larry Loganbill, in response to Bob's halycon call to support the USLA:

"Bob,

I'm signing up now as an Alumnus member now that you put it that way. Lifeguarding put food on my family's plate and helped pay the rent...even when I was teaching in Watts... I worked on weekends at the MB Pier... and during the summers to supplement my income. And beach lifeguarding paid my way through college... even though tuition was mostly free in California during the 60s. And if groceries had not been so expensive at the grocery store in Malibu... when I worked summers at Zuma...I might even had saved enough money to buy a bottle of Red Mountain wine to drink once in awhile. I used my Zuma lifeguarding money I saved from the summers for rent during college and I hashed at a sorority house for my dinners.

Cheers,

Duck"

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10-4

Until next time.....


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

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"Advent of the LACo Ocean Recheck Swim", by Chief Bob Burnside, Ret.

(Photo courtesy of Bob Burnside. Used here with permission.)

In retrospect of yesterday's (06.08.2011) ocean recheck swim at 2600 Strand which 17 lifeguards did not complete (out of 39 swimmers), representing an approximately 44 percent failure rate, we asked Chief Bob Burnside, Ret. for some perspective on this anomaly and if there were any historical references he recalled with respect to rechecks.

Here is what Bob poignantly said in reply this morning:

"When I was promoted to Chief...and the first recheck under my appointment came up, I had grave concerns about the annual recheck that had been policy for years. It was a 500 meter pool swim, under (I believe) 13 minutes.

Over the years I had noticed that many of the lifeguards were not in shape when they came on schedule. I was not impressed with pool rechecks, obliviously, we need to be sure that our people could make an ocean swim from a beach start thru the surf and around a buoy and back to the beach within a time frame to be established annually.

The notice went out (circa 1976) that the recheck would change and be held at Hermosa Pier. I had a buoy set out near the end of the pier and tested the time frame myself. I was able to make the swim from the beach start around the buoy back and up the beach in, as I recall, about 9 minutes. So I set the time limit at 15 minutes to finish the course. I kept in mind that my swim skills were likely considerably better than the majority of seasonal lifeguards, as I was still active in masters swim events and swam daily at Pepperdine College.

LACOLA made a big push to prevent the change. The Director, Dick Fitzgerald, was approached by the recurrent representative, arguing that the water temp. would be difficult at the early recheck date, that conditions and fair measurements of a distance to evaluate was unfair, etc., etc. Fitz called me in to discuss the issue. I adamantly argued my case. "We are beach lifeguards Fitz, these guys need to pass a swim that is what they will experience the first day they go on schedule." Additionally,I told him, to much "hanky panky" stuff has been going on with the pool swims. I closed by stating to him... "Fitz, you appointed me as the Chief. I feel strongly that this is the best way to have a recheck. He agreed and we went forward with the scheduling.

There was a lot of grumbling from many that showed up for the first recheck day. That day the water temp was around 63 degrees, a strong wind chop and 4 foot surf was hitting the south side of the pier. I watched the first group hit the water from the observation office with the Hqts crew viewing the start... To everyone's great surprise, out of the initial group of around 35 men, 11 of them never made it out beyond the surf line... and 3 additional's couldn't make the time limit.

It shocked everyone... The point had been made!

When the second group lined up, I went down, put my trunks on and took the swim with them.... Obviously, to present to them that if I made this call, I was willing to go with the plan also. In that second group, another 5 or more couldn't get out... and a few others failed in the time frame.

The point was made...It was an eye opener for everyone..

Daily, get your butts wet, policy was instigated in the Southern and Central sections. Zuma, had for years had that policy in place... but it now became a Dept. Policy.

The in and out drills are the answer. Exact entry training, digging down and rapid acceleration to the victim... swimming with head up (eyes on the victim) are the best training for a lifeguard... Pool swims mean nothing.

Lifeguards must be ready for any challenge... and feel confident they can handle anything when it comes up.

Comments about this year's recheck and miscues by many should be a grave concern to The Admin. staff... and LACOLA. I'm sure that Randy DeGregori and/or Howard Lee will recall the issue.

Bob

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Thanks Chief! We really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and recollections on this important matter of training, fitness and preparedness for the ocean by all recurrent lifeguard staff, etc.

10-4

Until next time.....


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

Service • Training • Commitment

*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

DISCLAIMER: County Recurrent is not affiliated with nor sponsored by LACOLA or LACoFD.

*** PLEASE forward to other Recurrents, past and present, so that we can add them to our mailing list. ***

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Get In Shape! Be Prepared! LACo Ocean Recheck 2011

(Image source: Mike Murphy's legendary (already) rip enabled magic carpet trip through the surfline during the ocean swim recheck on 06.08.2011 at 2600 Strand. Copyright Mike Murphy 2011. All Rights Reserved. Used here with permission.)

Dateline: LACo Recurrent Ocean Swim Recheck, Wed., June 8, 2011 at 2600 Strand, LACo Training Center

If you haven't heard about it yet, yesterday's (Wed., 06.08.2011) recheck swim was BRUTAL! You name it, the 39 guards that swam it know what I am talking about, with perhaps the exception of Mike Murphy who shrewdly rode out a monster rip and avoided an impact zone unlike any faced by this recurrent in 35 plus years!

39 guards swam. 17 did not make the time cut!

There is a lesson to be learned here, folks!

*** Be prepared. Be in shape. Know the territory. Use your brains. Use your ocean knowledge.

The conditions in the surf line at 2600 Strand at the present time present a literal vortex of close to shore obstacles. Yesterday, we had inshore holes, rips, lateral currents, a low tide, cold water temps and a heavy pounding consistent surf in an impact zone chosen by nearly the entire group! It was a meat grinder! At a higher tide the impact zone, as it turns out, presents a much different challenge and does not impede progress through the surf as much.

More will be written on this topic. The urgency of this message must not be delayed, however.

Check out Murph's illustrious and glorious rip current free ride in his own hand prepared chart above.

Below, is the same chart with an additional feature, namely, xxxxxxx, which symbolizes the meat grinder impact zone which took such a heavy toll on the field of swimmers yesterday.


Finally, we have included the Retest Memo posted by the Training Staff for those recurrents who have to retest.


Stay focused, be prepared, be grateful!

10-4

Until next time.....


Will Maguire, Editor
"County Recurrent" News

National Rip Current Awareness Week: June 5 - 11, 2011

Heads up !

We're right in the middle of it. Don't Panic! The National Weather Service's Annual "National Rip Current Awareness Week" is here again. Please share this information with your friends and loved ones.

http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/

Rip Currents: Break The Grip of The Rip!®
Awareness Week: June 5-11, 2011

(Image source: noaa.gov)

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X-Ref; Additional Reference Information:

1. "Manhattan Beach: Inshore Holes, Rips and Shoals", by Mike Cunningham

http://countyrecurrent.blogspot.com/2011/06/manhattan-beach-inshore-holes-rips-and.html

2. Rip Current Awareness Week: June 5 - 11, 2011
http://countyrecurrent.blogspot.com/2011/05/rip-current-awareness-week-june-5-11.html

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Be careful out there!

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Until next time.....


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

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Dick Orr, R.I.P.

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Rest In Peace, Brother!

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The Zuma Beach Lifeguard of the '60's, by Dave Rochlen

(The three photos above show the Zuma crews of the 1960's. Word has it that this paddleboard once belonged to Cal Porter.)

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(Three contemporary photos immediately above of Zuma Beach, Winter 2011. Photos by Will Maguire.)

Recently, we received a couple of email messages from one of LACo's finest recurrents from the '60's, namely, (Baby) Dave Rochlen, who has quite an opinion about the circa 1960's talent of the Zuma Beach Lifeguard Crew. Well, here, let him tell it:

"So-Will-

I am wondering if the Zuma Lifeguard is acknowledged as the best lifeguard per pound in the world? Please let me know if you are aware of any other lifeguard service, with a pool of about 30 guys who could match up with lifeguard competition as well as lifeguard rescue results in trying conditions better than The Zuma Beach Lifeguards of the early 1960’s? I mean talk about covering all of the bases! With the expert staff of professionals like Bob Burnside, Howard Lee, Gar Stiener, Bob Hughes, Haddock, Cal Porter being mentors to the up and coming guards who had made the cut to become Zuma guards-has to be unmatched at the time and perhaps even now. It just had to be a highlight of my life. Besides, being a local boy from Point Dume made it even sweeter.

I mean, how many guys got to be a part of so many Taplin championship Teams? How many guys got to experience the Radio Station Riots with just a skeleton crew of guards waiting for the motorcycle cops to arrive from town? Because squad cars could not reach Zuma since 101 was totally jammed with traffic all the way back to the Malibu Mayfair Market? How many guys got to witness Bob Hughes calming down a crowd of ho daddy’s with his calm, cool and collected manner? And that Brazilian guard who defended against a crowd of guys rushing a tower he was in? (Planted his foot into the chest of the lead guy rushing up the ramp knocking him backward into the close packed followers who then fell backward, ripping the rails off of the Guard tower ramp?) Oh, there are just so many memories-

Don’t want to get to excited at this age-

Aloha
Dave Rochlen"

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""Aloha Gang-

Zuma Rescues. Where else can a lifeguard, while swimming out to rescue victims in a rip, dive down 5-6 feet, dig ones fingers and toes into the bottom to no avail as the wave you are diving under, picks your entire body off the bottom and gives you the all time over the falls experience? Then after being bounced off the bottom and being washed half way back into shore, start the process all over again? One serious surf rescue at Zuma surpasses 15-20 rescues in Santa Monica.

At Zuma Beach, boys became men after working their first large south swell day from Towers 1-4. And, thank God for the guidance supplied by the permanent guard the novice was working with on those first reality check days.

Aloha
Dave Rochlen"

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Editor's note: Many Thanks to Dave for sharing his stories and memories of Zuma in the early 60's with all of us. And last but not least, enjoy a good laugh at Dave's contemporary and fellow Zuma recurrent from the 60's, namely, Larry "Duck" Loganbill, who chimed in after hearing and reading Dave's memories, as follows:

"To a man all the Permanents of the 60s were great mentors. I was just thinking sitting here with my morning coffee how we hardly ever saw Ted Davis and McKinley, the boat skippers... thinking they didn't really know who we beach lifeguards were. But whenever the surf was huge and we had a "blitz" and the Baywatch was there to give our victims a blow...... they always talked to me by name and usually had some positive reinforcement/praise for what I was doing in the middle of the madness. I know the praise and the use of my forename or nickname calmed me down while trying to figure out how to get my victims back to the beach with huge 8ft. Zuma surf crashing down on top of us.

Long may they ride... Ted and was it Leonard?

Duck

PS: It seemed to me the critical thing about lifeguard training was "when" to enter the water... most of us could spot the rip currents... it was the permanents that showed us we had to go as soon as we saw swimmers in the rip... no one wanted to look like an imbecile rescuing people who didn't need our help. Howard Lee showed me on one of my first days at Zuma in 1962... when I was standing in front of the rip watching the swimmers but I had not yet entered the water... when I saw Howie sprinting down the HQ stairs...(I was working Tower 6)... I knew then I had entered the "Zone of Proximal Development" as Vygotsky calls it... that "aha" moment like when you first figure out how to ride a bicycle or stand up on a surfboard. This is a skill that just cannot be taught with a slide show, film or video. I guess it's called "on the job training"? Actually doing it."

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Many thanks to Larry as well for his remarks.

10-4

Until next time.....


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

Service • Training • Commitment

*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

DISCLAIMER: County Recurrent is not affiliated with nor sponsored by LACOLA or LACoFD.

*** PLEASE forward to other Recurrents, past and present, so that we can add them to our mailing list. ***

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"Manhattan Beach: Inshore Holes, Rips and Shoals", by Mike Cunningham

(Photo courtesy of Mike Cunningham)

As an addendum to our recent blog post on the underwater inshore holes and ankle breakers at 2600 Strand in Manhattan Beach, which can be read at:

http://countyrecurrent.blogspot.com/2011/05/inshore-holes-rip-currents-and-sand.html

we asked veteran LACo Lifeguard Captain, Mike Cunningham, and a Manhattan Beach, Calif. native, to say a few words about the contours of the beach this time of year, esp. with the multiple storms we've had that have ripped up and pummeled the beach bottom and redistributed sand, creating a maze of inshore holes, mounds of sand and shallow spots even 75 yards plus from shore.

Here is what Mike had to say:


"Yep, we get some real deep holes inside this time of year. The sand deposits out in a kind of shoal, with deep spots inside. Sometimes it's about 5 feet deep at the end of the pier. Some of these deep spots can run 10 feet deep and no waves will break there. Surfers love it on high tide as the lefts and rights peel. Then it will get very shallow outside. We have had so many West and North swells recently that it is just dug out and does so every winter and spring. After about two or three South swells, it lines up better, the holes fill in, and the shoals outside move back and get deposited on shore.

Usually around mid-June we move towers up and may have to again by mid July because so much sand gets re-deposited."

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There you have it. Our readership demands "credibility" and now you've got it in spades. Pay attention, recurrents, to what Mike has said above about shallow spots outside and inside. Keep those hands out in front and just below your shoulders as you dolphin through the surf... stay shallow. You just do not know when the water depth will go from 5 foot plus to one foot or the like! Be careful out there! Esp. on the ongoing rechecks, be careful as we've got a long summer ahead of us all ! 10-4.

Many Thanks to Mike for sharing his experience and knowledge of the Manhattan Beach surf and beach conditions.


Until next time.....


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


Service • Training • Commitment

*** Keeping the County Recurrent "in the loop"..... whether he/she likes it or NOT ! ***

DISCLAIMER: County Recurrent is not affiliated with nor sponsored by LACOLA or LACoFD.

*** PLEASE forward to other Recurrents, past and present, so that we can add them to our mailing list. ***

*** OPT IN *** Just send us an email and we will add you to the list.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****