SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Beginning today, the now-familiar blue-shirted Long Lake Beach attendants are officially scheduled to return to monitor swimmers through the Labour Day weekend.

Last year's GNWT beach attendants including Chris Gillander, left, Serena Westad, Riley Walker and Cameron Crane took their first shifts at Long Lake Beach early last summer. Beginning this weekend, four full-time and six on-call beach attendants are scheduled to monitor Long Lake Beach seven days per week through to Labour Day weekend under the direction of supervisor Matthew Russell. - NNSL file photo

The attendants are not certified lifeguards, but have completed three days of shallow water rescue training, CPR and first aid training, as well as a course on conflict resolution and emergency procedures. Several of the four full-time and six on-call attendants have Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross certifications, which include specialized first aid training. Close to a third of the attendants, including supervisor Matthew Russell, are employed in their second year of the program.

Launched by the GNWT as a pilot project one year ago following consultations with the Lifesaving Society of Alberta and NWT, the program was designed with the goal of reducing injury and risks of death at the beach in direct response to the June 2013 drowning of seven-year-old Lodune Shelley.

"It's about prevention and education. That's where our focus is," said Kris Johnson, regional superintendent for the North Slave region with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

The attendants' main message is that safety is within arm's reach, said Johnson.

According to beach rules implemented last summer, children aged seven and younger are required to remain within an arm's length of their parent or caregiver, who must be aged 16 or older and be responsible for no more than four children at one time.

In addition to improving water safety for small children, the arm's-reach rule is fun, said Johnson.

"Being in arm's reach gets you out playing with your kids," she said, adding parents warmed up to the idea despite Long Lake's chill last summer.

"Because it was the first year, there were a lot of questions about why were we doing this and clarifications about what the program was. There was some resistance to staying within arm's reach.

"After a couple of weeks those concerns petered out and people really embraced it."

Children from age eight to 12 must be actively supervised by a parent or caregiver, as well.

Large inflatable water toys are prohibited in the shallow swimming area because they provide a false sense of security and can obstruct the supervisory gaze of caregivers and attendants. Small items such as pool noodles and water-wings are permitted.

Beyond rules, the program includes infrastructure including a free public phone with buttons that immediately connect a caller to the fire department in the case of an emergency or to the Long Lake Campground Gate House in case beach-goers have concerns about wildlife-encroachment, litter, security issues or simply wish to request information.

A life jacket loaner station established last summer has grown from 40 life-jackets to about 70 life-jackets that range in sizes from infant to adult. Beach goers of all ages are encouraged to grab a life-jacket at any time during beach hours, which run from 7 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.

Attendants will be on duty from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

"It's nice to see that the kids are actually running to the life-jacket station and helping themselves without being prompted, so that shows us that's been a success," said Johnson.

Two red boxes are stationed on the beach that contain water emergency equipment, such as throwing rings, throwing ropes that unfurl as they are tossed to someone in distress, and long poles.

The attendants plan to provide water-safety training for children every day so long as there is interest.

Meanwhile, Lifeguards for Lodune, a volunteer organization whose members lobbied the territorial government to hire beach supervisors following Shelley's tragic death in summer 2013, has disbanded, according to spokesperson and registered nurse Tanya Silke.

"We were successful," said Silke.

"We're really happy that the GNWT stepped forward and provided a staffed beach. It's nice to have trained professionals out there who are specifically looking at the water."

The task for the public now is to remain vigilant and teach new generations of swimmers how to be safe at the beach, she added.

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