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Jones Beach Lifeguard Corps
First 3 years of the JBLC
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Post First 3 years of the JBLC Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:18 am
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taken from an article in the August 1931 Nassau Daily Review that had a posed picture of Captain Johns, 5 lieutenants, 5 boatswains, and about 33 guards standing in front of the Mainstand showing the equipment of the day: can bouys, dories, reels, etc.

JONES BEACH GUARDS HAVE NON-FATALITY MARK FOR 1929-1930 seasons;

VETERAN HEADS LIFE-SAVERS.
Captain William Johns, veteran of 20 years experiance at rescuing drowning persons, is head of the lifesaving squad at Jones Beach. He points with great pride to the can buoys, the device that makes possible a multiple rescue. Three persons can remain afloat by grasping the cords attached to the sides of the can. Captain Johns puts his corps through daily drills in order to keep the guards at the highest point of efficiency.

30 RESCUES A DAY IS AVERAGE DURING THE WEEK WITH AS MANY AS 300 ON SUNDAY: RIGID TESTS ARE REQUIRED.

More than 1,200 rescues to date is the record of the Jones Beach Lifecorps for the season of 1931. This organization boasted a non-fatality mark for 1929 and 1930. Averaging 30 rescues every weekday and as many as 300 on a single sunday, the corps is found to be equal to the situation. To watch a rescue at Jones Beach State park from start to finish is to admire the keen and constant perception, the rapid unhesitating action, and the thorough familiarity with the most effective methods of resuscitation that these men exhibit.

RIGID TESTS REQUIRED.
The patrolling of more than a mile of Ocean beach and 1 1/2 miles of Bay beach with the usual crowd of 25,000 on weekdays and 80,000 on Sundays is a great task. The Long Island State Park commission aware of the difficulties involved has spared no effort in obtaining ample protection. The Jones Beach Life Corps under the able command of Captain William Johns, a veteran lifesaver of twenty years experiance, is a highly trained and organized body of selected men.

Before being considered an applicant must show a Red Cross certificate and have several years of experiance in Lifesaving work. Rigid tests must be passed before a candidate takes his place in the corps. Each one must prove his knowledge of rapid methods, first aid, swimming, handling of surf boats, artificial respiration, and the use of the inhalator.

COLLEGE MEN IN LIST.
Perfect physical condition one of the chief requisites for the position, aids the life guard in coping with the many difficult conditions to be expected in connection with such work. Guards must be at least five feet ten in height, and weigh about 160 pounds. Having passed all these requirements the successful applicant becomes a probationary member of the corps and is assigned to work with one of the older and more experianced men.

Among the members of the Jones Beach Life Corps are numbered graduates of Columbia, Dartmouth, Fordham, Cornell, Princeton and other universities and colleges. Many of these men are swimming and Life saving instructors. Others have been Life guards and counsellors at camps and beaches. All through experiance of one type or another are equipped for their present task.

It is interesting to note the swift development of this corps into the large organization it is at present. From a group of 18 in 1929, it grew to 35 in 1930. This year finds Jones Beach fully equipped with a Life saving force of one captain, 15 petty officers, and about 50 Life guards.

Perched on towers the guards are posted at regular intervals along the ocean and bay beaches. From this vantage point they can command a clear and undisturbed view of that section of the bathing area designated to their patrol.

WATCHED WITH BINOCULARS.
The greatest asset in Life saving lies in the ability to spot a victim in distress. The highly experianced Life guard is the most skillful at this. With his binoculars he watches closely the facial expression as well as the stroke of those in deep water. Irregularity of stroke, excitement or fear registered on the face, quick meaningless movements that seem to get the swimmer nowhere - all these the "lookout" detects as signs of danger. He sounds his whistle shrilly, ties one end of the reel across his chest and springs into the water. A second guard stands at the reel and passes out the line. When the Life guard who spotted the victim succeeds in reaching and grasping him, he gives the signal and is pulled in by the reel. Having arrived on shore the victim is treated either by means of the first aid kit or the inhalator depending on the seriousness of the case.

This is just one of the ways in which a rescue is made by the Jones Beach Life saving corps. Rescues with the aid of dories or catamarans are equally frequent. Here the bather is pulled out of the water by a guard and tossed into the dory or catamaran patrolling the waters.

ASSISTANCE - EVER - READY.
The efficiency of the can buoys is a point of particular pride to Captain Johns. This device, cone shaped at either end, is especially effective in making multiple rescue, since it allows for three persons remaining afloat by grasping the cords attached to the sides of the can.

Assistance is always close at hand, and reports of danger are quickly communicated. The sound of a whistle is the signal for one life guard on either side to come to the aid of the man who spotted the drowning person, one guard is however always remaining to cover his section of beach.

Life saving drills consisting of the launching of the surf boat and catamaran, the operating of the reel, and the practicing of general Life saving details, is a daily exercise that tends to hold efficiency of the Life saving force at its highest level.

Thus the visitor to Jones Beach State park may well be casual and unaware of danger. The trust in ones safety at this park, given unthinkingly as it often is, is made only the stronger by an understanding of the workings and organization of the Jones Beach Life Saving corps.
Post Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:15 pm
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This article shows where the JBLC or Jones Beach Life Guard CORPS was in 1931. They were the elite water safety group in the North Atlantic.
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