The Solana Beach Department of Marine Safety was established on July 1, 1987. The department's primary mission is to ensure the safety of beach facilities within the borders of the City of Solana Beach, thereby providing the safest possible environment for the public. This is accomplished by a staff of 3 regular lifeguards complimented by 35 seasonal employees. Administrative oversight is provided by the Director of Public Safety for the City of Solana Beach. In addition to rescuing swimmers in distress, members of the Department of Marine Safety insure the safety of the City's beaches by performing a variety of preventative actions, including recognition and mitigation of potential dangers, identification and marking of dangerous swimming areas, establishing designated safe swimming and surfing areas, enforcing beach related City ordinances, and providing aquatic safety education to the public. Public safety contacts, such as moving an inexperienced swimmer from a dangerous rip current area to safer water, constitute the greatest part of the department's activities.

Capabilities
The Solana Beach Department of Marine Safety is fully equipped to respond to a wide variety of ocean related rescue and emergency medical situations. The following is a detailed description of the Department's emergency response capabilities:

• First responder emergency medical aid, provider care "C" CPR, and Emergency Medical Technician protocol medical aid, including full c-spine precaution, administration of oxygen, administration and monitoring of nasal and oral airways, nasal and oral airway suction, utilization of traction splints, AED and the Defibrillator.
• Respond to in-shore aquatic emergencies including rescuing swimmers, surfers and vessels in distress and responding to water related first aid situations such as Stingray and Jellyfish victims.
• Respond to off-shore rescue situations involving persons or vessels up to a distance of up to three miles off-shore.
• Provide mutual aid to the United States Coast Guard in off-shore search, rescue and recovery operations.
• Full underwater search and recovery capabilities.

Equipment
The Department of Marine Safety utilizes an eclectic array of equipment in the performance of its duty of providing the safest possible environment for the public. The following is list of major types of equipment utilized by lifeguards in performing preventative actions and responding to emergency rescue and medical situations:

Rescue


• Personal rescue equipment including rescue buoys, fins, and rescue boards.
• Two Honda Personal Watercraft with rescue sleds.
• One Hobie Skiff 15 foot hard-hull rescue boat equipped with 50 horse-power outboard motor, emergency medical supplies, life preservers, and personal rescue equipment.
• One Yamaha ATV with rescue buoy and miscellaneous first aid supplies.
• Three 4X4 rescue vehicles equipped with 800mhz radio, emergency services scanner, public address system, stokes, backboard, rescue board, EMT protocol emergency medical supplies, tool kit, diving mask, and personal rescue equipment.
• Cliff rescue equipment including carabiners, eight-plates, anchors, pulleys, stokes, seat harnesses, chest harnesses, personal protective equipment, and line.
• Scuba equipment including masks, fins, snorkels, buoyancy compensators, regulators, weight belts, tanks, and wet-suits.
• Swiftwater rescue capabilities.

Communications


• 800mhz permanent broadcast station communications radio system.
• Marine band permanent broadcast station communications radio system.
• Four hand-held 800mhz radios.
• Two hand-held Marine Band radios.

First Aid


• Assorted bandages.
• Assorted dressings including non-sterile and sterile gauze and trauma dressings.
• First aid tape.
• Self-adhesive wrap.
• Iodine.
• Alcohol.
• Hot and Cold packs.
• Cervical collars.
• Back-boards.
• Nasal and oral airways.
• Manual and electric suction units.
• Liter-flow oxygen.
• Oxygen resuscitators.
• Splint Packs.
• Traction Splint.

Seasonal Lifeguard Information
Each year the Department of Marine Safety hires a small number of seasonal lifeguards. Lifeguarding is a physically demanding occupation. Ocean water lifeguards may have to respond to emergency situations over long distances and under challenging and dangerous conditions in order to rescue swimmers in distress.

Requirements:

• Completion of the San Diego Regional Lifeguard Academy (Introduction to Open Water Lifeguarding).
• Possession of an American Red Cross Emergency Response certificate, or equivalent, and a valid CPR for the Professional Rescuer Card (included in the American Red Cross Emergency Response course).
• 18 years of age at date of hire, and must be a U.S. citizen or have a legal right to work in the U.S.
• Vision correctable to 20/30, functional color vision, and normal hearing.
• Must be able to lift and drag 150 pounds twenty feet.
• The physical strength, endurance and ability required for swimming, running, walking, standing, or sitting for extended periods of time.
• A valid California Class "C" driver's license.
• A 500 meter open water swimming performance test must be completed in 10 minutes or less. Swim tests are held at various locations within San Diego County.
• Successfully pass a pre-employment medical examination, drug screening and fingerprinting.

For further information, or to request a current Seasonal Lifeguard Training Program Brochure, please contact the Marine Safety Department at (858) 720-4444.