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Friday, March 29, 2024

Prospective lifeguards vie for WBOR spot

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Between 40 and 50 prospective Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue lifeguards will complete an ocean swim, a beach run, two mock rescues and an interview to earn a spot on the 2015 squad.

Tryouts will be held April 26 and May 2 at 8:30 a.m. beside Crystal Pier. Applicants must finish a one-half mile ocean swim and a 1-mile beach run. They’ll have a quick break before completing two mock rescues — one on an active victim and one on a passive victim. WBOR senior guards will pose as victims. An interview on the beach follows the physical test.

The squad only hires around 30 seasonal guards to man the stands between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily Memorial Day through Labor Day, lifeguard captain Jeremy Owens said. Anyone vying for a spot on the team must have the ability to swim 500 meters in less than 10 minutes and run one mile in less than eight minutes. Such requirements help target those prepared for the mentally and physically demanding aspects of the job.

Having prior lifesaving experience and CPR certification is not a requirement, Owens said, but it’s a plus.

“We’re looking for people who are good swimmers, who have experience in the ocean and are comfortable in surf,” he said, “… and meet the physical and mental demands of the job, and then we’ll train them in United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) open water lifesaving.”

Guards who make the cut will also undergo Department of Transportation first responder certification, which includes medical training and CPR certification, and the agency will compensate guards who also choose to pursue State of North Carolina EMT certification.

The high training standards are part of WBOR’s status as an USLA advanced agency, Owens said. The advanced certification also requires WBOR personnel carry top-of-the-line medical equipment, he added.

“It’s a great benefit to the community,” he said, “to be able to have that sort of medical equipment and medically trained personnel be able to respond so quickly.”

WBOR guards must also be at least 18 years old, but Owens said guards hired that young are typically seasoned swimmers like freshmen on the University of North Carolina Wilmington swim team.

“We get a lot of UNCW swimmers, we’re really fortunate to have the swim program at UNCW to draw from,” he said. “We get a lot of surfers and people who are just watermen and women. … Then we have several Wilmington city and county firefighters … that have emergency service backgrounds.”

The oldest guard on the squad is around 50 years old, he said, and the average age is about 30.

“You’re getting a lot of really experienced people,” he said. “We usually retain about 50 percent of the staff … and they have 10 plus years of ocean rescue experience.”

Because the Wrightsville Beach lifeguards go through the stringent physical training, medical training and long workdays together, it instills in them an important team mentality, Owens said.

“Everybody is in it together,” he said. “We [train] together, we work out together, spend a lot of time in the off hours with each other. … That’s what’s great about Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue, that teamwork aspect and the ability to know everybody has the same training standards and everybody is capable of the job.”

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