{"id":7687,"date":"2026-08-25T08:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7687"},"modified":"2026-08-25T08:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:06:53","slug":"ocean-and-open-water-lifeguards-in-california-should-be-considered-first-responders-lawmakers-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7687","title":{"rendered":"Ocean and open water lifeguards in California should be considered first responders, lawmakers say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ocean and open water lifeguards across California should be considered first responders, lawmakers say, a title that could help create a blanket designation for agencies across the state.<\/p>\n

Read more One person dead in East Oakland shooting<\/a><\/p>\n

The California Legislature passed what\u2019s called a concurrent resolution on Thursday, Aug. 20, saying it recognizes professional open water lifeguards as first responders \u201cin acknowledgment of their essential role in emergency response, public safety and drowning prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: \u2018This is my job\u2019: 16-year-old lifeguard describes how he rescued child from pounding surf in Santa Cruz<\/strong><\/p>\n

The move doesn\u2019t codify into law that recogniztion, but advocates hope it will help a similar federal bill pass in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Still, the California Surf Lifesaving Association called it a \u201clandmark acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis resolution highlights what lifeguards demonstrate every day: The courage, training and lifesaving expertise required to protect Californians and visitors in our oceans, lakes, and waterways,\u201d CSLSA President Gustavo J. Avila said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The hope is that the designation will help strengthen public understanding of the services lifeguards provide, as well as encourage continued investment in training, staffing and needed equipment, Avila said.<\/p>\n

While many lifeguarding departments in Southern California have been folded into their local fire department and are already considered first responders, the designation is not universal across the state and country. Local agencies called the move long overdue so the lifeguards have access to benefits similar to police and fire.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a bill, authored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, moving through the U.S. House so the first responder designation can be applied to lifeguards across the country.<\/p>\n

Mathew Giachetti, chair of the United States Lifesaving Association\u2019s First Responder Advocacy Committee, is spearheading the effort, first noticing that lifeguards were not able to get vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic as early as police and firefighters.<\/p>\n

In addition to early access to vaccinations during pandemics and outbreaks, the federal bill would allow for better compensation, which could help with ongoing staffing shortages and give mental health protection and workers\u2019 compensation for emergency responders who experience traumatic events during their duties, Giachetti said.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018He\u2019s gonna pay\u2019: Murder trial ends for man who killed Newark father while grieving his own daughter\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n

The discussions are happening at a time when videos have surfaced showing rescues across California as big waves in recent months have put lifeguards to the test \u2014 including a viral video of Santa Cruz lifeguard Ryder Williams clinging to a 10-year-old boy that gave the world a glimpse at the harrowing task lifeguards face, a job that requires them to risk their own lives to rescue another in the wild sea.<\/p>\n

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Williams recently met with President Donald Trump, who said he had to rewatch the viral video after seeing the heroic rescue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you did was incredible, and everybody saw it,\u201d Trump said during a recent Oval Office visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe lifeguards don\u2019t get the credit they deserve; this really showed how important it is in certain areas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In a statement shared through California State Parks, Williams said: \u201cI\u2019m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely. This is my job, and I love what I do. I\u2019m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state resolution would not require changes to compensation, benefits, employment classifications, collective-bargaining agreements or existing labor agreements.<\/p>\n

State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, an Encinitas Democrat who co-authored the resolution, said her 18-year-old daughter is a California State Ocean Lifeguard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is that they are doing lifesaving work and they are doing it in the ocean, where there\u2019s not a police officer or a firefighter who is swimming out to rescue someone who needs help,\u201d said Blakespear, who represents communities in southern Orange County.<\/p>\n

Blakespear intends to follow up to make the designation a law, according to her staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a hierarchy to law enforcement, and being recognized as a first responder would make it clear that what they are doing is on par with police and fire in terms of the response,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Read more One killed, four injured in series of Oakland stabbings<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The legislature acknowledges lifeguards’ role in emergency response, public safety and drowning prevention. 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