Lifeguard Service's 26th Season Begins July 1

The Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service (NSLS) begins its 26th season of supervision at 18 beaches on Canada Day, July 1.

The service is a joint project of the Nova Scotia Sport and Recreation Commission, which provides funding, and the Nova Scotia Region of Red Cross, which is responsible for operating the service.

John Byrne, regional director for the Red Cross in Nova Scotia, is looking forward to another safe season for beachgoers. "The lifeguards will be attending training camp all this week to prepare them for their duties this summer," he said.

"We are extremely proud of their professionalism, and commitment to training and education, and are pleased to say that in service's 25 years of operation, there has not been a drowning fatality during supervised hours."

For the second year, lifeguards will be provided with cellular phones through the Connected For Safety partnership with MT&T Mobility. They further enhance the ability of lifeguards to respond quickly in case of beach site emergencies.

All supervised beaches are supervised daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eighteen beaches are supervised throughout Nova Scotia, including lakefront and oceanfront beaches.

Supervised beaches in the western region of Nova Scotia are:
Queensland Beach; Rissers beach; Aylesford Lake and Lake Ellenwood.

On the eastern shore they are: Rainbow Haven; Lawrencetown Beach; Clam Harbour and Dollar Lake.

North shore supervised beaches are: Melmerby Beach; Heather Beach; Pomquet Beach and Bayfield Beach.

In Cape Breton they are: Dominion Beach; Port Hood Beach and Inverness Beach. Mira Gut Beach; Indian Beach; Florence Beach.

Supervised beaches in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality are:
Mira Gut Beach; Indian Beach and Florence.

NOTE TO EDITORS: More details on supervised beaches, a backgrounder and fact sheet on the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service is available; please e-mail <[email protected].>

jlw June 24, 1998 4 p.m.