A three-day conference that kicks off this morning at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort in Koloa will arm local lifeguards with advanced rescue techniques and improved educational outreach methods to better protect community members and visitors from ocean hazards. “It’s all
A three-day conference that kicks off this morning at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort in Koloa will arm local lifeguards with advanced rescue techniques and improved educational outreach methods to better protect community members and visitors from ocean hazards.
“It’s all about sharing knowledge,” said Kalani Vierra, a junior lifeguard instructor and Kaua‘i Fire Department Ocean Safety Bureau supervisor. “Ocean safety is definitely a big concern here.”
It is the first time for the Garden Isle to host the bi-annual United States Lifesaving Association meeting.
Safety experts, university professors and health officials will make presentations tomorrow morning. The ocean safety bureau will host hands-on demonstrations in the afternoon at Po‘ipu Beach Park.
Today and Saturday will consist largely of committee meetings, working groups and activity reports from representatives of lifeguard organizations nationwide.
“It’s quite an honor to have the conference here,” said Monty Downs, a Wilcox Memorial Hospital emergency room physician and long-time water safety advocate slated to speak about local drowning prevention efforts.
Kaua‘i has the highest drowning rate per capita in the nation, Vierra said.
“We’re trying to beef up our awareness on the island through education,” he said.
There are nine lifeguard stations throughout Kaua‘i, but many visitors go to unguarded beaches such as Lumahai, Hanakapi‘ai and Polihale.
These remote beaches are more secluded and beautiful, Vierra said, but contain hidden dangers.
Visitors comprise an estimated 75 percent of drowning deaths, he added.
“They just need to know what’s going on,” said Ralph Goto, president of the USLA Pacific Islands region. “We need to develop strategies on how to best inform them without scaring them away.”
The conference will help lifeguards and concerned others hone plans to disseminate safety information at resorts and local businesses that deal with the ocean, Vierra said.
Some ideas that have been discussed include an in-flight video, brochures and Web sites, Goto said.
Speakers on Friday will present a global perspective of the drowning problem and then boil it down to local issues and strategies.
Goto, an Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division administrator in Honolulu, was a major reason for the spring USLA conference being on Kaua‘i.
He said he worked with Vierra, who heads the USLA Kaua‘i Chapter, and Kaua‘i Fire Chief Robert Westerman to bring the event to the Garden Isle.
The conference provides a way to put the focus on Kaua‘i’s water safety issues, Goto said.
“We can learn a great deal from their experiences and they can learn from us,” Vierra said.
The county currently employs 39 lifeguards, Vierra said, but is in the process of hiring additional personnel for a tower that is expected to be operational in July at Ke‘e Beach.
• For more information, visit www.hawaiibeachsafety.org, www.usla.org or www.kauaiexplorer.com.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com
