From sunrise to sunset, beaches throughout Cyprus should be monitored by lifeguards, says Polys Pallikaros, President of the Pancyprian Lifeguard Federation, following the tragedy that unfolded at the CTO beach in Larnaca as well as other rescue incidents.
As Mr. Pallikaros noted while speaking on the “Alpha Summer” program, the beaches of the Free District of Famagusta are protected by 50 lifeguards, while the Paphos district, which has twice the coastline, is protected by 10 lifeguards, as is the Limassol district.
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Mr. Pallikaros responded to the Ministry of the Interior, arguing that the problem is not due to the lifeguards’ training but to the seasonal nature of the work.
“The problem lies in the seasonal nature of the positions that are advertised. That is, positions are advertised for three, four, or five months. Even if someone is qualified, who would quit their job to go work as a lifeguard?”
He notes that these positions are advertised by the District Administrations in consultation with the Ministry of the Interior, stating that the number of positions advertised is appropriate, however, many are seasonal, resulting in a lack of interest.
As he notes, they used to rely on students to staff the lifeguard towers; however, due to the threefold increase in the number of lifeguards at hotels, students prefer to work there rather than on the beach.
“The problem lies in the months when we need someone to come work, not in the training,” he points out.
He calls for the hiring of lifeguards on eight- and ten-month contracts, so that they have an incentive to work, since during the months they are not working, they will be able to receive unemployment benefits.
He referred to a rescue that took place on Sunday in Paphos, when two lifeguards, Marios and Raphael, intervened and rescued a mother and her child. “They would certainly have drowned,” Mr. Pallikaros remarked, emphasizing the importance of staffing the lifeguard towers. In another incident, a lifeguard was alerted at 7:30 a.m. while at home and went to Korallia Bay, where he performed a rescue.
As for extending lifeguards’ shifts, their numbers would need to be doubled.
*Featured photo from the archive
