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For these three young
ladies, being a lifeguard at
Kalmo
Beach
in Val Caron is more than just a summer job. “It’s really a lot of
fun. We get to meet thousands of different people and it makes us feel
good knowing that we are helping others enjoy their summer,” explained
Jamie-Lee Fleming, the veteran of the team. Jamie-Lee, shown in the middle
of the photo, is a 21 year old Val Caron resident who is in her 3rd
summer at the beach. She is entering her 3rd year in the
Nursing Program at Laurentian University. On the left is Christine Lebeau,
an 18 year old Val Caron resident who is in her 1st summer at
the beach. Christine is going into her 2nd year of Neuro-biology
at Laurentian University. Ashley Leblanc, on the right, is a 20 year old
from Hanmer who is in her 2nd year at the beach. Ashley is
going into her 3rd year of Bio-Medical Biology at Laurentian
University. One other full time lifeguard, Lee-Anne Menard, an 18 year old
Hanmer girl who will be entering the Paramedic program at Collage Boreal,
and Amanda Kirkpatrick, a 20 year old from Hanmer who is entering the 2nd
year of the Nursing program at Cambrian round out the five person team.
The beach
will be supervised from
11 a.m.
to
7 p.m.
seven days of the week from June 25 until the last week of August. There
will be at least two lifeguards at the beach at all times. Each morning at
10:30
they do a “bottom check” to make sure that there is no glass or other
dangerous debris in the swimming area. They also rake the ground area
looking for objects that may cause injuries. Once people begin coming to
the beach, the girls take their responsibilities seriously as they
diligently supervise the area and make sure that swimmers are acting
appropriately and safely in the water.
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The girls wished to remind
people to bring lots of sunscreen to the beach and also bring along plenty
of water to drink. In addition, they want parents to remember that
lifeguards are not babysitters. It is important for parents to watch their
own children constantly. For children under the age of seven, it is
advised that you never allow your child to get out of arm’s reach.
“We take our jobs very
seriously,” explained Jamie-Lee. “We get very upset when people behave
in a manner which endangers others or when they “fake” being in
trouble. The safety of children and other swimmers is no joking matter. We
want everyone to come out and have good, safe fun.”
While there is no canteen
open on the site, there are change rooms and the lifeguards have access to
a phone in case of emergencies.
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