Telepeer

Not all lifeguards are designated first responders, but efforts are underway to change that

August 11, 2026

The recent viral video of Santa Cruz lifeguard Ryder Williams clinging onto a 10-year-old boy as they were battered by massive waves gave the world a glimpse at the harrowing task lifeguards face, a job that requires them to risk their own lives to rescue another in the wild sea.

The footage of Williams, himself only 16, even caught the attention of President Donald Trump, and lifeguards are hoping the stark visual, along with other videos in recent weeks of rescues up and down the Southern California coast during recent bouts of heavy surf, will help a years-long effort to have lifeguards officially categorized as first responders.

While many lifeguarding departments in Southern California have been folded into their local fire department and are now considered first responders, the designation is not universal across the state and country. Local agencies are calling the move long overdue so the lifeguards have access to benefits similar to police and fire.

“We have been so much more than ‘white stuff on my nose, and sand between my toes’ for a long time now,” said Mathew Giachetti, chair of the United States Lifesaving Association’s First Responder Advocacy Committee, who is spearheading the effort. “But many still view us as that, and not professional rescuers.”

Being a first responder would give lifeguards early access to vaccinations during pandemics and outbreaks, allow for better compensation, which could help with ongoing staffing shortages, and give mental health protection and workers’ compensation for emergency responders who experience traumatic events during their duties, Giachetti argues.

A bill in the House would make it a federal law for all open water and ocean lifeguards in the country to be designated first responders, while at the same time a similar effort in the California legislature is gaining momentum.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Giachetti said he noticed lifeguarding colleagues in New Jersey couldn’t get priority access to vaccines, while he was able to because of his EMT certification.

That’s when Giachetti reached out to New Jersey 4th District Congressman Chris Smith’s staff to create a bill to recognize lifeguards nationally as first responders.

It was introduced on the House floor in early 2023, with several revisions in the past three years, and Giachetti said he hopes the final version will be heard during a special session at the end of August before Congress breaks. If it is pushed back again, they will have to start the process all over.

“We keep getting pushed. What we’re hoping is that all the media and all the attention, all of the rescues — especially Ryder because it’s out there and the president is bringing him in for a medal — we’re hoping it will bring more attention and bring it to a successful vote,” Giacheitt said.

There are a lot of dangers and unknowns in the lifeguarding profession, including the ocean floor changing, far-off weather affecting local tides and swells. In New Jersey, two young lifeguards were killed in recent years, one in a boat accident and another struck by lightning while at his tower, Giacheitt said.

And then, there’s the traumatic part of the job — like finding the body of a drowning victim, he notes.

“Imagine being the lifeguard finding that person, all you wanted to do is have a summer job to make a difference and now you’re living with seeing that,” he said. “We deal with more non-water emergencies: heart conditions, respiratory, heat exhaustion, overdose and death, people die from cardiac arrest. It’s the same training for resuscitation that all first responders get.”

Lifeguards pull a swimmer out of the surf during a rescue at The Wedge in Newport Beach on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

1 of 2

Lifeguards pull a swimmer out of the surf during a rescue at The Wedge in Newport Beach on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Expand

Open-water lifeguards already perform first-responder work every day, said Greg Crum, president of the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Association, a group supporting the efforts.

“They are often the first professionals to reach victims, both in and out of the water, begin medical care, and coordinate additional emergency resources,” he said in an e-mail. “Formal recognition ensures lifeguards are fully integrated into emergency planning, mutual aid, training, funding, and occupational protections.”

This summer, as excessive heat and big waves have hit the region over and over, lifeguard agencies have been strained. L.A. County crews conducted 1,049 rescues on July 25 alone, another 700 last weekend, and tens of thousands of preventative actions for more than 1 million people, officials said.

While L.A. County lifeguards folded into the fire department in 1994 and are considered first responders, the association has been advocating to streamline the designation across all lifeguarding departments.

During major swells, a single incident can involve multiple swimmers, dangerous rip currents, traumatic injuries and medical emergencies. That integration allows lifeguards to quickly request resources, coordinate commands and provide advanced care, Crum said.

“Their work takes place in an unpredictable environment where waves, currents, tides and crowds can create a major incident within seconds,” he said.

LA County Fire Department lifeguards also respond to emergencies throughout the county. During the Palisades and Eaton fires, lifeguards provided medical aid to injured firefighters and helped coordinate resources in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, demonstrating that their first-responder role extends far beyond the beach, Crum added.

The California version of the federal bill, SCR 192, would help establish consistent statewide recognition of open-water lifeguards as first responders.

Hollywood is also getting involved with support: Gregory J. Bonann, the creator of the 1990’s “Baywatch” and who is currently producing a reboot of the series filming in Venice Beach, sent a letter of support.

“Open-water and ocean lifeguards respond into extremely dangerous conditions, risking lives to save others,” Bonann, a lifeguard since 1970 with 56 years of experience, wrote. “These first responders have very little protective equipment and provide critical emergency medical care to patients before paramedics arrive on scene.

“Lifeguards must prevent tragedy before it happens,” he added. “We keep watch from a tower, pound the berm on foot or patrol in watercraft, constantly watching, anticipating danger, recognizing problems before others see them, making critical decisions, and acting immediately. The professionalism, courage, judgment and public service of lifeguards deserve recognition and respect.”

Rob Williams, a retired Newport Beach lifeguard chief who now sits on the Board of Directors of the Ben Carlson Foundation, said it’s important to bring awareness to what lifeguards do on a daily basis, including the risks they face. The nonprofit was created in honor of Carlson, a Newport Beach lifeguard who died during a rescue more than 10 years ago.

Carlson’s death was a tragedy that opened the city’s eyes to how harrowing their jobs can be and changed the perception of lifeguards, he said. The constant rescues in recent weeks as the region has been slammed by swells have also raised awareness of what they do to keep the public safe.

“Within the Newport Beach Fire Department, our lifeguards are already viewed, trained, deployed, and relied upon as first responders,” Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles wrote in his letter of support. “Lifeguard operations are fully integrated into our public-safety system, and its personnel routinely work alongside other emergency responders during both routine calls and large-scale incidents.”

The proposed state legislation would not require changes to compensation, benefits, employment classifications, collective-bargaining agreements, or existing labor agreements.

“It simply aligns formal recognition with operational reality and encourages public agencies to appropriately include professional open-water lifeguards in emergency planning, training, and mutual-aid systems,” Boyles argued, noting that Newport Beach lifeguards work 365 days a year managing public safety along 6.2 miles of ocean coastline and 2.5 miles of bay beaches.

“These are not recreational duties,” he added. “They are emergency-response responsibilities performed in dynamic, unpredictable, and unforgiving environments where seconds can mean the difference between life and death.”

Not all lifeguards are designated first responders, but efforts are underway to change that Orange County Register

News Details

Not all lifeguards are designated first responders, but efforts are underway to change that

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS