Lifeguards Cera Wright and Ivy Porter remove a waterlogged piece of driftwood from the swimming area of Riverside Park.
Allen Douglas/KTW
As Cera Wright and Ivy Porter pulled a 10-foot piece of driftwood from Riverside Park’s swimming area on a Saturday afternoon, beach-goers were reminded it’s a different world swimming in the South Thompson River.
“There’s a lot more hazards here,” Wright told KTW. Driftwood aside, she noted there’s one danger that stands out: “We face the current.”
Wright and Porter, lifeguards with the Riverside Park Lifeguard Service, were at the start of their first Saturday shift in Riverside when they spoke with KTW.
The City of Kamloops’ lifeguard service monitors the beach daily from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting.
SAVING LIVES AT THE TCC
On a regular day, a lifeguard at the Tournament Capital Centre’s Canada Games Pool might perform minor first-aid or help a young swimmer who has gone too far into the deep end.
This summer, they have also been first responders during a pair of rescues for swimmers in medical distress.
The latest save came on Wednesday, when an elderly man had a medical incident unrelated to swimming, said Heidi Ogilvie, the city’s aquatics programs supervisor.
“The lifeguards were quick on the draw and rescued him and sent him off to Royal Inland Hospital, where he’s being treated,” she said.
On June 18, lifeguards at the pool rescued a woman experiencing medical distress, again not related to swimming.
Ogilvie praised staff involved in both incidents for immediately recognizing what needed to be done.
“It was absolutely incredible,” she said. “They are such a highly professional team and I am so proud to be their supervisor.”
Medical issues at the pool are relatively rare, Ogilvie said, usually occurring a year or more apart.
For both Wright and Porter, 2015 is their first year lifeguarding at the downtown swimming area.
Working outdoors in the Kamloops summer certainly has its perks, Wright noted, but dealing with drop-offs and currents, sandbars and floating debris also adds to the stress that comes with monitoring the beachside swimming area.
And, those are just the hazards in the water.
“Someone could be lying on the beach, tanning, but be passed out,” Wright said, noting the city’s lifeguards also monitor those on the sand for heat-related illnesses like heat stroke.
Pools are controlled environments, where lifeguards can see to the bottom, the water doesn’t fight back and swimmers remain in a contained area.
Guarding in the river, on the other hand, requires lifeguards to make extra considerations should they need to jump in and save a swimmer.
“Even when we guard, we’re going to run up-stream and swim on an angle,” Porter said.
“We’re going to be dealing with the current, too, and we’re going to be tired.”
Despite the added hazards river swimming might bring, the Riverside Park Lifeguard Service is on hand to ensure swimmers remain safe as they enjoy the water in the sweltering heat of Kamloops’ summers.
So, even though it would give her more people to look after, Porter would rather see everyone enjoying the water in the roped-off area along the South Thompson.
At least there, there’s help if need be.
“It’s a lot safer to swim in,” she said.
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