Water safety educator gives safety tips as lifeguard chairs sitting empty
KING COUNTY - People headed to public beaches in droves to find a way to cool down on Monday.
At Mount Baker Beach, it was full of families and groups of friends jumping off the dock, sun tanning on the grass and swimming in the water.
“Cooling off after sweating in my apartment all day, working from home with no AC,” said Brandon Musser.
Just as the parking lots were closed, the lifeguard chair was empty too. These are all decisions to try and keep crowds from growing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many cities and towns have closed public pools and public beaches to avoid crowding, which also means no lifeguards.
“I guess I’m a little surprised there isn’t one, but I guess with Covid it makes sense,” said David Grava. “As an adult, whatever, but with kids and family, probably better to have a lifeguard.”
We connected with Bridget Verhei, who is the recreation supervisor at Si View Metropolitan Park District.
Verhei is also a Red Cross water safety educator and says her drive to keep people safe in the water is a personal one.
"I would say since 1986 when my Aunt Bernie passed away,” said Verhei on her motivation. “If she had simply had a life jacket on she would probably still be here today."
Verhei said the Si View Pool is closed due to pandemic restrictions. However, she does want people to follow safety guidelines if they are going to be swimming out in the open water.
“Number one around here is the water temperatures. Even though it’s very hot, our water is mostly fed by snow melt. Know the signs of hypothermia,” said Verhei, who explains it doesn’t take much time at all for the cold water to put our bodies in stress. “The time I’ve heard is five minutes, but once you start to feel too cold then it’s time to get out.”
Some more tips:
- Wear a properly fitted personal floatation device
- Have a designated water watcher
- Take a swim lesson
- Never go swimming alone
- Be in a supervised area
- Be extremely cautious diving in head first
- Watch for fall-off ledges in lakes and the ocean
- Watch for hidden currents in rivers