President of the Lifeguards Branch, Augustus Sylvester, is denying statements made by the Ministry of National Security that there are adequate lifeguards on duty.
In a brief interview yesterday, Sylvester said several lives could have been saved during the Easter holidays.
During that time, 61-year-old Beville Simonette, of Tacarigua, drowned in Maracas, and Trevin Lalla, 31, of Balmain, Couva, drowned at Guayaguayare on Easter Monday.
“The drownings could have been avoided. Easter is an annual event and the people drowned at around 9.30 am because there was no staff on duty.
“If they had put the necessary mechanisms in place those persons would have been alive if the lifeguards had started duty at 8 am which is a normal practice during that holiday,” he said.
Sylvester said the lifeguards usually take up duty at 10 am but they did not put measures in place at that time for an earlier shift.
He said since the PNM came into power the lifeguards were moved from the Ministry of Tourism to the Ministry of National Security.
“We were moved without consultation and we need to know what their plans are for the lifeguard service. We cannot continue working under the daily-paid structure which does not cater for lifeguards.
“That is more for labourers and sanitation workers. In order to have an adequate lifeguard service you need a structure in place. The ministry is only dealing with the supervisors,” Sylvester added.
He said they were still waiting to get a meeting with the ministry.
Referring to the ministry’s statement that there were adequate lifeguards, he said: “The ministry is just repeating what is told to them and those numbers are wrong. There is a shortage of staff.”
Sylvester said there was a lack of equipment for the lifeguards to assist in saving lives.
“We have no equipment to work with and no motorised equipment. So we are operating in the 21st century but like we are back in 1492 because everything depends on the lifeguards’ physical ability to save lives,” he added.
He said the department had jet skis but they were removed in 2013.
“This was an important life-saving equipment. You don’t have lifeguards running out there. We operating in the stone age,” he said.
When contacted, communications officials at the Ministry of National Security said with regard to the five drownings over the Easter weekend, only one of them occurred at one of the lifeguard-protected beaches.
In a press release, the ministry said the drownings took place before working hours of the lifeguard service.
“There is currently no shortage of lifeguards in the service. However, the service is continually working to find more efficient ways of using the human resource aspect of the lifeguard service to be more meaningful to the public,” it added.
The release noted that the number of lifeguards employed was 121 on the beaches at Toco, Salybia, Manzanilla, Mayaro, Los Iros, Vessigny, Quinam, Maracas and Las Cuevas.