PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue staff and vehicles are transitioning from the Parks and Recreation Department to operate under Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
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It's a change designed to improve emergency response times and enhance lifeguard training at county beaches.
The operational shift, which takes effect Saturday, will place ocean rescue on the same emergency communication system as fire rescue, eliminating the current disconnect between departments that use different radio systems during emergencies.
"We're raising the standard for ocean rescue, there's going to be greater inter department training with fire rescue, which has already started," said EMT Lieutenant Dan Barnickel, chief public information officer with ocean rescue.
Currently, when lifeguards respond to beach emergencies, they hand off patients to fire rescue personnel, who arrive separately. The new system will allow both teams to communicate directly and coordinate care from the moment of dispatch.
"We're able to communicate what's going on, deliver prehospital care and when they arrive paramedics can deliver advanced life saving care," Barnickel said.
Barnickel stated the merger will require all ocean rescue guards to become EMT certified, bringing enhanced medical care capabilities directly to beach emergencies.
Last year, ocean rescue helped 95 people from drowning and assisted 34 boaters, with no fatalities recorded in guarded areas according to Parks and Recreation. The latest rescue was on Christmas Eve.
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Beach visitors expressed appreciation for lifeguard presence.
Sheila Gregory, visiting Carlin Park in Jupiter from Raleigh, North Carolina, said she feels comfortable seeing lifeguard stations nearby. Her husband, Richard, recalled rescuing a drowning man in North Carolina where no lifeguards were present.
"I grabbed him by his shorts and just picked him up and started dragging him to the shore, we were so tired we could hardly get him onto the sand, he was drowning," Richard said.
Laura Kelly, visiting from Long Island, emphasized the importance of constant lifeguard coverage after experiencing unguarded beaches elsewhere.
"You need it, you need to have somebody here at all times," Kelly said. "We were at another beach, there were no lifeguards, it was a little scary."
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The transition aims to address staffing shortages that have challenged ocean rescue operations.
Barnickel hopes improved resources and equipment will attract more lifeguard candidates as Palm Beach County's population continues growing.
"As the population in Palm Beach County is growing, our department is growing," Barnickel said. "So, it will allow us to get more resources to fill up positions. We've had staffing shortages, that will be less of an issue now, less of a concern, better equipment and better responses for the public."
Lifeguards at pools and water parks will remain under the Parks and Recreation Department.
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Only ocean rescue operations are affected by the change.
For beachgoers, the transition will be largely invisible, with lifeguards continuing their regular duties while operating with enhanced communication capabilities and medical training behind the scenes.
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