Kalmo Beach is once again open for the summer, and the team
in the photo above is ready to provide local residents of all ages with a
great summer experience. From the left, we have: Lee-Anne Menard, an
18-year old Valley Girl who is beginning her 2nd year as a lifeguard at
Kalmo Beach. She is entering her 2nd year in the Paramedic Program at
College Boreal in the fall. Next to her is Elise Gervais, a 19 year old
Valley Girl who is beginning her 1st year on the beach. Elise attends
Laurentian University where she will be entering the 3rd year Bio-Med
program in the fall. Paige McNicoll, sitting on duty at the top of the
chair, is a 19 year old Capreol Girl who is in her 2nd year at Kalmo
Beach. Paige is entering her 2nd year of studies at Cambrian College in
the fall. Bryan Forbes, the only full-time male on the team, is a 17 year
old Valley resident who is in his 1st year on the beach. Bryan attends
Bishop Alexander Carter Secondary School and will be entering his
graduating year in the fall. Rounding out the group is Christine Lebeau, a
19 year old Valley Girl who is in her 2nd year at Kalmo Beach. Christine
will be entering the 3rd Year of the Science Psychology program at
Laurentian University in the fall. Two other part-time members of the
staff who were not on duty the day the photo was taken, are Ron Arbour, a
17 year old Grade 12 student from Ecole Secondaire Hanmer and Miquael
Burnet.
Kalmo Beach is open seven days a week from now until August 28. The
beach will be supervised between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m..
Between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. there will be a total of three lifeguards on
duty. At all other times there will be two. All lifeguards must be
extremely well qualified to apply for the position. In addition, they all
attend an in-service training session every Tuesday morning at the Main
Beach in Bell Park from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.. All four girls in the
photo also work at the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre as lifeguards
and instructors during the school year.
The beach house contains changeroom and washroom facilities as well as
a staff office which is used by the lifeguards when they are "out of
the chair". A phone is available for use if necessary to call for
assistance of any kind. However, all lifeguards are qualified to handle
any kind of emergency which may come up at the beach.
According to Paige, "This is the best job ever. We get to be
outdoors all summer long and we have fun with so many people who come
here."
Lee-Ann explained, "I would say that 95% of our job is injury
prevention. We watch to make sure that none of the swimmers will be
endangering themselves or others around them. It is just a matter of
people using common sense and not being careless or disrespectful of
others."
"Discipline hasn't really been a problem, and we don't expect
much," said Bryan. "If someone is acting up, we give them a
warning. If they don't listen, we tell them to leave the beach. It's
pretty simple. We do not tolerate any kind of activity that will ruin the
fun for anyone else. If anyone continues to give us problems, we just get
on the phone and call the police."
Elise pointed out that the job comes with a lot of responsibility,
especially when the crowds get over 74 during the hot summer days.
"When there are over 74 people on the beach, we have three guards on
duty. Usually we have two in the chairs and one person is walking around
or in the water on a paddle board. When it is that busy you have to be
constantly looking for anyone who is displaying out of the ordinary
behaviour."
Christine spoke for all guards when she explained, "We are not
babysitters. It is important for parents to remember that when they come
to the beach, they have to keep an eye on their own children, especially
toddlers. We ask all parents to keep their babies within arm's reach. It
doesn't take very long for a young child to drown, so when parents let
their children run up and down in the shallow water, we hold our breath in
anticipation. The instant a child trips and falls face first into the
water, we get set to spring into action."
Kalmo Beach has an outstanding safety record, largely because of the
excellent supervision policies implemented by the lifeguards. Park
Foreman, Larry Pederson, drops in every day to see how everything is going
with the guards. They appreciate what Larry does to help maintain the
facilities in proper running order.
There is currently no concession service at Kalmo Beach, so the guards
advise people to bring plenty to drink when they come. If they are going
to have a picnic, the guards ask that everyone clean up their own areas in
order to keep the beach spotless. Plenty of suntan lotion and sunscreen is
also recommended.
