Calls to extend lifeguard season at Dublin beach after death of teen
Calls have been made to extend lifeguard cover or introduce full-time professional lifeguards to improve safety at Burrow Beach in Dublin.
This comes following the tragic death of a teenager at the popular North Dublin beach.
At a recent area committee meeting, Social Democrats councillor Joan Hopkins brought forward a motion seeking an update on the safety of the location of the lifeguard at Burrow Beach and the general plan for safety for the summer months.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Hopkins first extended her sympathies to the family of Abbie Carmody-Pepper (15), who died when she got into difficulty while swimming last month.
“I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and thank those involved in the rescue,” she said.
“Keeping the public safe and keeping our lifeguards safe is of the utmost importance, and I’ve spoken before about my desire as an all-year sea swimmer to have lifeguards all year, but to definitely extend the bathing season because our beaches are frequently used outside of those times.”
“I know there is a budget requirement for that. I know our lifeguards are typically students, and it’s not really professionalised in this country the way it is in other countries, but it’s something that I think we do need to consider going forward,” Cllr Hopkins added.
In Ireland, the bathiing season runs from the start of June to mid September each year. According to Fingal Coounty Council, lifeguards will be on duty at designated beaches from 11am to 7pm on weekends in June, then daily during July and August.
Labour Party councillor Brian McDonagh also raised concerns about safety provision at the beach, calling for full-time lifeguard staff and improved swimming education nationally.
“There’s no such thing as a 100pc safe beach, but some beaches are safer than others,” he said.
“I have for a number of years brought forward the idea that we should have a number of professionalised lifeguards in full-time employment to act as a kind of a core that would provide services at certain times and places, certainly earlier in the bathing season.”
“This comes back again to the provision of education. Every child in this country should be learning how to swim, certainly by the end of secondary school, but preferably by the end of primary school. But even the strongest swimmers and people who spend most time in the water can often become victims.”
He added that demand for swimming at Burrow Beach was particularly high during good weather.
“The demand is certainly there in terms of all-year-round swimming, particularly in relation to Burrow Beach, where we get such a huge amount of visitors on hot days, and particularly young people,” he said.
“We can never say that a particular accident could be prevented, or a particular tragedy could be prevented, but I think we should try and do as much as we can to provide the services that are necessary wherever they are needed.”
Green Party councillor David Healy spoke about the placement of the lifeguard hut at Burrow Beach.
“When the hut was put in, it was put on a kind of concrete pads, which within a week, one of them was covered in sand as the constantly mobile sand levels move, and I think there’s certainly an argument to be made for the hut to be located on poles, both for visibility and for compatibility with the mobile nature of the ground level there,” he said.
In a report to councillors, Fingal County Council said the positioning of seasonal lifeguard stations is determined following assessment of a range of operational and safety factors, with the primary consideration being the safety of beach users.
The council said the current location of the station ensures the designated bathing area corresponds with the area most frequently used by swimmers and visitors, while also maximising visibility and lifeguard response times.
A water safety risk assessment carried out at Burrow Beach in 2022 on behalf of Water Safety Ireland recommended the provision of a raised viewing deck to improve lifeguard visibility and supervision during low tide and busy bathing periods.
However, the assessment did not specifically recommend the positioning of the lifeguard hut itself.
It was also confirmed that Water Safety Ireland will carry out a new risk assessment of the beach in the coming weeks.
Karen Gallagher, Senior Engineer in the Operations Department, told the meeting that there are currently no contingency arrangements for early-season heat events.
“We don’t currently have any contingency plan if there was to be, say, a hot 20 degree weekend in April or May, and we don’t have that contingency plan to call on lifeguards that may have applied previously, or to see if they’re available — that isn’t currently in place,” she said.
Meanwhile, residents have also launched a campaign calling for lifeguard coverage to be extended to May and for daily cover throughout June.
The petition stated that: “Despite secondary school students being off school in June Fingal only provides lifeguard services in June on weekends, which is also not enough.”