An investigation into a claim under protected disclosure by a senior lifeguard that rescues off Co Clare’s coastline was under-recorded has found a discrepancy of 44 per cent in the figures.
As The Sunday Independent reports, the investigation into the complaint identified 97 rescues off Clare’s 12 lifeguarded beaches in 2021, whereas a figure of 54 rescues was provided by Clare County Council to Water Safety Ireland (WSI).
The investigation by the Department of Rural and Community Development also found lifeguards in Clare have “concerns regarding the level of equipment and facilities provided”.
The complaint was made last year under the 2014 Protected Disclosures Act to the department, stating that there could have been up to 150 rescues in 2021 — one of the busiest seasons for beaches in decades due to a surge in home holidays during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The complainant, who is a senior lifeguard with 14 years of experience on Lahinch Beach in Co Clare, noted the WSI figure, which is derived from information provided by the relevant local authority, was a fraction of that.
He told the Sunday Independent that he believed it highlighted a wider issue where lifeguarding was under-funded and under-resourced on Irish beaches.
About 400 lifeguards stationed on 135 beaches around the Republic’s coastline are funded by local authorities and trained by WSI.
The department admitted the complaint, and undertook an audit of beach lifeguard books on all 12 lifeguarded beaches in Clare for the 2021 season.
Read more in The Sunday Independent here
