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Lifeguard Service Stops on Friday
By Prasit Tarnsirisin Monday, March 23, 2015
PHUKET: The Thai holiday island destination of Phuket will be without official lifeguards on its beaches from Friday, the existing lifeguard company announced today.
Phuket Lifeguard Service spokeswoman Tanya Chuayuan said that demands by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation, which puts the lifeguards' role up for tender each year, made it difficult to sustain a professional operation.
''Volunteers may man the beaches of Phuket after Friday but as the equipment has to be returned to the PPAO, swimmers will not be properly protected.'' she said.
The PPAO provides the 22 million baht budget to sustain the lifeguards but insists on putting the role out to tender each year, a process designed to prevent corruption.
However, in treating the lifeguards' role as a business, the PPAO ignores the importance of protecting swimmers every day, all year, every year.
With the monsoon season approaching, Phuket's beaches become more dangerous with the formation of currents known as rips on many beaches.
A security guard business has already applied for the lifeguards role but two firms are required for the tender process to begin.
Khun Tanya said today that she and her husband, mainstays of the Phuket Lifeguard Service since 2010, find it too difficult to raise between 1.5 million and three million baht required as a deposit under the tender process.
In previous years, Phuket's beaches have been without lifeguards for as long as seven weeks while the tendering process has been carried out.
The Phuket Lifeguard Service put 88 lifeguards on Phuket's 13 most popular beaches over the past year but it's believed the PPAO now wants the number increased to 95 lifeguards for the same budget.
''The PPAO provides all the equipment but it's cheap equipment, and that doesn't help,'' Khun Tanya said today at a media conference at the Royal Phuket City hotel.
Lifeguards at beaches in western countries usually have jet-skis with sleds as part of the essential equipment. That's not the case on Phuket.
Khun Tanya said that since 2010, the lifeguards had reduced the number of drownings on the beaches of Phuket from 19 to 6 last year, with rescues also being reduced because of awareness of the danger from 1761 to 398.
In most developed countries where lifeguards are used, the service is viewed as essential in the same way as police and firemen and not subject to annual tender.
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Comments
Comments have been disabled for this article.
There we go again! Year after year the same idiot thing.
I like the last paragraph in this article of PW!
..." In most developed countries", ...etc, etc, etc... Seems like this country simply doesn't want to develop in certain fields. About firemen, they work without protective clothing and without breathing apparatus.
It is a shame that the thai government use life guards, and dismiss them as they are a supermarket plastic bag. Continuation talks should have been done already 3 months ago. But ANTICIPATION seems to be a word not existing in thai language.
Posted by
Kurt
on
March 23, 2015 19:31
In regards to the last part ofyour article,"In most developed countries...."
You DO realize that Thailand is not among developed countries,right? At best,it's a "developing" country,and it will take a few more generations before that will change for the better.
Posted by
Carl
on
March 23, 2015 20:23
The Karon local council is run by people accused of raking in hundreds of millions of baht in illegal bribes but nobody can ever find any money for life guards. It's a pitiful situation and reveals just how greedy and selfish Phuket officials are.
Posted by
Arun Muruga
on
March 23, 2015 20:31
Same-same every single year! It's beyond ridiculous...
Get Catch to pay for the whole island. Give them a 5-year lease, give the guards a 5-year contract.
The beaches are screwed without lifeguards, Surin is screwed without Catch.
Posted by
Anonymous
on
March 23, 2015 21:38
@Anonymous - I would argue that Surin is screwed WITH Catch, which is a major source of obnoxious drunken foreigners, both on the beach and on the highway after their party day at the beach is over. Also, if Catch, Zazada and Bimi are such great businesses, why didn't they offer to help provide essential services?
Posted by
Ed Sanders
on
March 23, 2015 23:54
idiotism
first double the bdg to pay enough for people to be able to request them to do the job, to buy , finally , enough equipment - yes, jet ski , and others ; provide enought training
second, put adequate beach safety signs in line with ISO.. -alllocate enough bdg for it
don'y forget that ISO standard requiers a safety message recipient to perceive the msg well - so use the language mix that is enough and adequate to cover , say, at least 75% of msg recipients
Posted by
Sue
on
March 24, 2015 01:40
Life saving is not a business in Australia its manned by volunteers and supported by charities private people and the government, no one is paid to do it
Posted by
peter allen
on
March 24, 2015 08:35
Editor Comment:
There is not the beach culture in Thailand that there is in Australia.
@ Sue, I hope you not confuse the thai with that ISO remark. Europe is ISO, Singapore is ISO, foreign companies in Thailand meet ISO settings. ( car and computer firms). Are there thai ISO regulations, sett/checked by thai government? To meet ISO standards it needs investments in education, skills, quality control. In simple words, thai have to invest/pay first. They do not have that mind setting. They just want to fork part of budget/money away. That yearly budget Opera for beach guards, it all has to do with how much money can be canalized away under the table. It is a latest push and pull game. We all know that.
Posted by
Kurt
on
March 24, 2015 10:40
@ peter allen, In Australia al of them have a normal job to make a living. I see the Australian beach guards as having a hobby/freelance community service, same as in many other western countries. In Thailand being a beach guard is a full time low paid job, make your daily bowl of rice with it. Different.
Posted by
Kurt
on
March 24, 2015 11:19
Kurt,
The newest edition of ISO standards in regard of beach signage consist of 3 parts and is the following:
ISO 20712-1:2007
Water safety signs and beach safety flags -- Part 1: Specifications for water safety signs used in workplaces and public areas
ISO 20712-2:2007
Water safety signs and beach safety flags -- Part 2: Specifications for beach safety flags -- Colour, shape, meaning and performance
ISO 20712-3:2014 ?????
Water safety signs and beach safety flags -- Part 3: Guidance for use
These standards are based to very large degree on National Aquatic and Recreational Signage Style Manual by the Government of Victoria state of Australia.
Unlike standards, which can be accessed only for a fee, the manual is in public domain, you see how good and comprehensive it already is:
http://www.vcc.vic.gov.au/assets/media/files/SignageManual3.pdf
The Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) is the national standardization body a.k.a. DIN, that adopts and promulgates also international standards - created by ISO, IEC and other International standard setting bodies, basing on Thailand policy requirements and of laws.
I didn't find any trace that TISI adopted any ISO 20712 edition, however giving a volume of beach tourism they apparently had to , and and had to adopt it a long time ago.
So, first they have to put ISO 20712 into national standards framework.
Second, they have to make this standard mandatory - I didn't studied Thai legal framework on standards, but in most cases a national standard is voluntary unless law stipulate its mandatory character.
Third, yes, ENFORCE!
Posted by
Sue
on
March 24, 2015 17:17
sue you forgot to mention equiupment very useful for getiing out there fast no matter how many flags you have
Posted by
michael
on
March 25, 2015 02:08
Common Sue,
What about some blue flags. I know you are holding out on us!
Posted by
Manowar
on
March 25, 2015 02:14
michael
".. to buy , finally , enough equipment - yes, jet ski ,... "
you mean jetski isn't fast enough, hydroplane or aquacopter..?
Manowar
Oh , I see, indeed, casuarinas and Cocos nuciferas along Haad Patong were flagging their branches in blue as flags haven't been blued enough to dissipate vacationers' blue on a lack of true Blue Flags.
Posted by
Sue
on
March 25, 2015 06:46
Sue, very much thanks for your update on ISO. You wrote that you didn't find a trace that TISI ( local thai body)did adapt ISO 20717 ( international). If you would put your writing on a office desk of a responsible thai authority I am sure a whole new world opens for him/her. By the way, who actually is the thai authority responsible for beach safety? ( Phuket Beach safety includes life guards, seen the number of drowning of foreign and thai people.
Posted by
Kurt
on
March 25, 2015 08:59
Sue,
I find it difficult to argue against that which I dont understand, so despite my intention to always provide an opposed view, I will have to agree with your comment, whatever it says.
Posted by
Manowar
on
March 25, 2015 12:49
Kurt, you are wrong and no little about Australia, the surf life saving volunteers do not all have full or part time jobs but have time to spare and enjoy volunteering their time and are also qualified to do the job
Posted by
peter allen
on
March 25, 2015 13:59
The sea around Phukets beaches will be reserved for jet-skis in the future.
Patong Beach is 100% jet-ski zone now and new facilities are build special for transportation of these machines.
So since the plan is no space for swimmers, there will be no need for lifeguards.
Posted by
Sherlock
on
March 25, 2015 15:42
Sorry peter allen, but you are wrong, the life guards that patrol the beach on Mondays to Fridays DO GET PAID by the councils in the areas that their work in, it is only on week-ends that it is voluntarily done
Posted by
stephen boyd
on
March 25, 2015 20:42
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There we go again! Year after year the same idiot thing.
I like the last paragraph in this article of PW!
..." In most developed countries", ...etc, etc, etc... Seems like this country simply doesn't want to develop in certain fields. About firemen, they work without protective clothing and without breathing apparatus.
It is a shame that the thai government use life guards, and dismiss them as they are a supermarket plastic bag. Continuation talks should have been done already 3 months ago. But ANTICIPATION seems to be a word not existing in thai language.
Posted by Kurt on March 23, 2015 19:31