Officials: Cool off at beaches where lifeguards are present during heat wave

BELLEVUE, Wash - The hottest temperatures of the year have arrived in western Washington and more people are hitting the open waters to cool off. However, there is a risk involved if people aren’t recreating safely, officials warn. 

University of Washington School of Medicine said of the 29 people who drowned in 2022 so far, 15 of them were in open water.

The City of Bellevue hired 38 new lifeguards during the spring after struggling with a regional lifeguard shortage due to COVID-19. Brandi Christman, the city’s aquatic manager in the Parks and Community Services department, said they worked aggressively and proactively to hire and train lifeguards for the summer.

"We have some awesome lifeguard instructors that are taking on a ton of classes to make sure that we have staff out here. It’s so important for us to be able to provide those that can be here to make sure everyone has an opportunity to safely recreate outside," said Christman.

"Our kids are new swimmers. So, it’s nice just to have that as backup," said Claire Holmds, a mother visiting Enatai Beach Park.

Temperatures will reach above 90 in many communities throughout western Washington. Places like Enatai Beach Park in Bellevue might see more people taking a dip to stay cool.

"We don’t have AC at home, so we're really gearing up for a very hot week," said Holmes.

"We just love being outside and feeling the natural breeze and being in clean lake water," said Charlotte Keneipp, a mother visiting Enatai Beach Park.

Finding a clean lake is something people will have to be mindful of. Public Health – Seattle & King County said Meydenbauer Beach Park and Newcastle Beach Park in Bellevue are both closed due to high bacteria levels found in the swimming water.

"I was really hoping to get in the water to cool off. And just having the water closed just makes it feel a lot hotter," said Nina Birkmeyer, while visiting Meydenbauer Beach park with her mother and siblings.

As tempting as it may be to get in the water to escape the hot sun, officials said it’s not worth the risk to ignore the health hazard and beach closure signs.

"Kids don’t know how to not ingest that water and that’s going to be the biggest thing. You let little kids in then first it’s their toes, and then it’s their knees and then in they go [in] because they are kids and they want to have fun. And taking in and ingesting that water can be really harmful," said Christman.

Along with Enatai, safe alternatives include Chism Beach Park and Clyde Beach Park—all of which have lifeguards on duty. Christman said they worked aggressively and proactively to hire and train lifeguards after struggling with a regional shortage due to COVID-19.

"We have some awesome lifeguard instructors that are taking on a ton of classes to make sure that we have staff out here. It’s so important for us to be able to provide those that can be here to make sure everyone has an opportunity to safely recreate outside," said Christman.

Safe recreation in the water also means wearing a life jacket. Dr. Chinenyenwa Mpamaugo with the University of Washington School of Medicine suggested wearing life jackets that are U.S. Coast Guard approved.

"Regardless of your capability of swimming and how good you think you are as a swimmer, I still want to reinforce the importance of having a life jacket on at all times. For any kid under five – all of them should be wearing a life jacket at any body of water, and then also just be really vigilant and making sure that if there is no lifeguard around, you take appropriate precautions, specifically the life jackets," said Dr. Mpamaugo.

Beaches operated by the City of Bellevue offer life jackets to borrow at no charge during a visit on the water.

Dr. Mpamaugp also reminded people to stay vigilant when recreating on the water. She said, "If you are that person and you have been tasked with supervising children or even adults, it's really important that you be the person to put your phone down, to be able to put 100% into the role."

"I think just being vigilant like watching your kids in the water, especially if they’re not good swimmers, they don’t have floaties. It’s just so important to watch what they’re doing because anything can happen in a moment," said Keneipp.

Christman also urged people to use extreme caution while recreating at parks that don’t have lifeguards, including lakes that have run-off water from the mountains. 

"It’s hot outside, that doesn’t mean that the water is hot. If you go somewhere like Lake Easton, for example, that’s glacial fed, that’s cold water and there’s no guards out there. Your body reacts differently to cold water. So, keep these things in mind, especially for little ones that don’t know how the water affects them. So make sure you have your life jacket, pay attention to the water temperature, but have fun," said Christman.