OBJECTIVE
To learn about the how rescues, first aid, and interventions relate to conditions at waterfront sites.
METHODS
Statistics from beaches and waterfronts on the east coast of Canada were gathered from secondary sources to compare the interventions and rescues to other factors about specific sites and weather. The sites were only included in the data set if the organization kept records of lifeguard treatments and inventions with the patrons. Additionally, weather that was not included with beach statistics was gathered from other secondary sources.
FINDINGS
In all, data was collected for 26 different sites. The data includes seasons, typically July and August, from 2001 until 2016. The total sample set was 332 seasons at beaches and waterfronts. This includes 2,544,511 patron visits, 125,323 interventions, and 2,553 rescues/treatments from lifeguards. It should be noted that the region has a short season with low mean temperatures; the average air and water temperatures at the sites were 21.76 and 16.75 degrees Celsius respectively. The rates of rescues and interventions were negatively and weakly correlated with air temperatures with statistical significance (p < .05). Interestingly, although not unexpected, both rates also have a weak, positive correlation with water temperatures at the same significance level. The rescues and interventions per 100,000 patrons were calculated at an average of 138 and 7,008 respectively. Unfortunately, a lack of comparable information makes drawing of conclusion difficult.
CONCLUSION
While anecdotally we often recall hot summers as being the busiest for rescues, from the perspective of rates of rescue/treatments, and interventions, it is the water temperature the appears to drives lifeguard action. Not unexpectedly it is the choice of people to enter the water that drives interventions and rescues. Additional work can be done and specific types of rescue and treatments with future studies.