The Danish lifeguards raise the standard: Intensive training and realistic exercises on the beaches
This month of July has been characterized by few days of good beach weather, but the country’s lifeguards have not let that stop them. Instead of taking it easy, they have been using their time for intensive training and realistic simulation exercises on the beaches. According to coastal lifeguard chief Anders Myrhøj from TrygFonden Kystlivredning (TrygFonden Coastal Lifeguard), the unstable summer weather has emptied the beaches of bathers, but it has given the lifeguards a unique opportunity to focus on improving their skills.
“The lifeguards use their time to train their skills and become as effective as possible in saving people in distress. This can be done with the help of a boat or board, as well as through swimming and diving exercises. Sometimes we also show up unannounced and simulate a dangerous situation that they have to handle,” explains Anders Myrhøj.
Instructors from TrygFonden Kystlivredning have been out at the beaches creating scenarios as realistic as possible that require lifeguard intervention. “When there is no one on the beach, it is difficult to sneak up on them. The principle is to create a realistic scenario, and then the lifeguards are informed at the end that it is an in situ exercise, which they do not need to raise an alarm for,” Myrhøj explains.
It’s not just about physical training. According to Myrhøj, it is also crucial that lifeguards become skilled at reading the waves and breakers. “That is one of the most difficult aspects. You need time at sea, time on the board, and learn to navigate on the water. The sea is constantly changing, and it’s rare that two days are the same,” he says.
This summer season, there are lifeguards present at 34 beaches and harbors in Denmark. The lifeguards rotate between different beaches each week, ensuring that they do not become too fixed in their routines. “The danger of being on the same beach all summer is that you get ‘to know it’. But the sea is constantly changing, and we want to avoid the lifeguards getting stuck in their routines. That’s why they move around and see different conditions,” Myrhøj further explains.
The workflow is inspired by aviation personnel, where there are clearly defined roles like lifeguard 1 and 2. “It doesn’t matter if you know each other intimately. You agree on who has which roles, and you can adjust based on, for example, if one is a bit better at the boat than the other,” he says.
In week 28, from July 8 to 14, lifeguards conducted a total of 7,331 missions of various kinds, with the vast majority – 6,623 – being of an informative nature. None of these missions involved anyone in life-threatening danger. In the previous week, lifeguards carried out 4,541 missions, with two of the cases involving life-threatening situations.
Therefore, TrygFonden Kystlivredning works hard to ensure that their lifeguards are as well-prepared as possible for all types of situations, ensuring a high standard of safety for bathers on the Danish beaches.