Torremolinos fine-tunes its lifeguard system with two drills

The Torremolinos City Council has tested the coordination of its lifeguard and rescue services with two emergency drills on the beaches of Torremolinos. The Beach Councilor, Miguel Domínguez (PP), and the delegate for Tourism and Beaches of the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol, Francisco Cerdán (PP), attended these drills to verify the response and coordination among the different services. "We have lifeguard personnel in the watchtowers and on the beach, and we are equipped with numerous materials and equipment such as an ambulance, a zodiac, a jet ski, and everything necessary to respond as quickly as possible when needed. That’s why we are conducting these drills, which allow us to test the effectiveness of the planned protocols," Domínguez stated. In Playamar, a first exercise involved the rescue of a minor who had gone into the sea with a paddle board and could not get back. An ambulance was called after the minor suffered an anxiety attack. Once rescued, it was discovered that there was no family member in charge, but the minor had a bracelet with a code, activating the lost person protocol with the intervention of the Beach Assistants, who managed to locate the family member and bring them to the area where the minor was rescued. The second drill took place in La Carihuela, where an accident involving a jet ski was simulated, requiring intervention from the tower lifeguards and the rescue jet ski. A possible spinal injury was detected in the victim, so the action protocol for such cases was activated with the necessary equipment. The objectives of these drills are to measure response times from the alert to the arrival at the victim, as well as the ambulance, to verify the effectiveness of the rescue protocol, including that for lost children, and the coordination between the beach assistants and the Local Police. During the summer months, 15 beach assistants reinforce the surveillance of the Local Police, whom they support, coordinated by an officer and two local police officers, from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The lifeguard service on the beaches of Torremolinos began on June 1 and will continue until September 30, every day of the week from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Awarded to Ambumar SA, the service has about 40 professionals to ensure the safety of swimmers and beachgoers along the Torremolinos coast. The operation includes 11 watchtowers with first aid materials, a rescue boat, and two jet skis, an ambulance available in the area for urgent transfers, two fixed nursing stations, a rapid intervention vehicle with first aid medical materials, and five defibrillators distributed in the main nursing and coordination stations as well as in the vehicles. The Coordination Center is in constant communication with the beach assistants, Civil Protection, and Local Police, as well as various emergency services such as 061, 112, and firefighters. This year, the service includes a bracelet location system for minors and people with disabilities, available for free at the care modules. As a new feature, this year includes a real-time video surveillance system from the coordination post that allows live monitoring of the interventions and the state of the sea, or the influx of the public. Additionally, this year, the sea condition flags all have an identification feature for colorblind individuals, thus improving inclusion. Regarding the adapted bathing service, those interested in using it can call 637 514 212 to make an appointment.