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Not Enough LIFE Guards!

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Submitted by Anthony Davis
Not enough experienced life guards to service the beaches
Not enough experienced life guards to service the beaches

“DESPITE AN ASSURANCE from the National Conservation Commission that it would provide lifeguard coverage at Crane Beach in St. Philip, there were no rescue personnel on duty there last Thursday when 18-year-old Shaquille Denny drowned…In  fact, as recently as yesterday the area, famous for its strong currents, was unmanned by a lifeguard for a significant portion of the evening once the lone lifeguard on duty left. One observer noted that veteran lifeguard Roderick Yarde had been on duty from as early as 7.30 a.m., but once he left bathers were on their own…Asked specifically if the situation suggested Govt. needed to urgently reconsider its decision to fire 28 of its 94 lifeguards, the NCC boss said he believed at some point when circumstances permitted, those responsible would look again at the situation.”

Well, well, well!

How generous of Mr. Neblett and, especially the Minister of Finance who, like Shylock, is demanding his pound of flesh. How many more lives must be lost before the ” circumstances permitted” are right?

Have you and the Minister of Finance determined how many lives must be seen as collateral before these “circumstances” are right?

How much is a life worth to you Messieurs Sinckler and Neblett?

Isn’t one life which has been lost because of your utter folly of firing lifeguards more than enough?

I sometimes travel on the Sam Lord’s Castle bus, and more often than not tourists would board it and ask the driver to put them off at Crane Beach. Can you imagined this hitting the Internet?

Can you imagine what damage it would do to the tourism industry?

Firing lifeguards is nothing but myopic to say the least, and the sooner the number of lifeguards is back to its full complement the better!

I sincerely hope that both of you people know what happened with Shylock!

“Not to know is bad. Not to wish to know is worse.”

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25 responses to “Not Enough LIFE Guards!”

  1. Not Enough LIFE Guards! – Vibe Audio StationVibe Audio Station

    […] Not Enough LIFE Guards! […]

  2. HAMILTON A HILL Avatar
    HAMILTON A HILL

    @ Anthony Davis….As you said one is too many, but persons have drowned on beaches manned by lifeguards in the past. For quite sometime now the members of the Royal Barbados Police Force have been subjected to conditions and circumstances severely less than desirous for such an essential service. In the face of such disrespect and in the midst of a crime wave that seems to get worse with every passing day those brave men and women have doubled down in their efforts to protect this country. When last have you read or heard a complaint from them? Time and again they are asked to go above and beyond the call of duty without recompense. The overtime monies owed to these guys facilitate ministerial jaunts hither, thither and yon. Lets fix these poor guys first. All others after.

  3. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Hamilton

    You seem to have missed the point. The policemen are all still employed even though I agree with you that they do work above and beyond the call of duty. The problem here is that this incompetent Government, following IMF dictates about reducing the numbers employee, have not only wreaked havoc in the lives of people that they terminate without providing compensation. They are now responsible for the death of this young man. Government policy has lead to his death. I hope they can’t sleep at night knowing that, but I doubt it: they sleep like babies.

    Another thing that disturbs me greatly is that they have also sent home the people who would now be cleaning up the tonnes of seaweed that is being deposited on our shores. Instead of rehiring them they are asking people who already have jobs to come out and volunteer to clean the beaches.

    Unfortunately, a number of well-intentioned idiots, who want to see themselves on television and in the newspapers, have responded to the call, thus ensuring that those laid off workers remain unemployed. It is not that the volunteers are uncaring and could not give a damn about those suffering at the hands of this callous Government. It is that they just want noticing.

  4. ac Avatar
    ac

    frankly speaking caswell u are a lunatic,,this is not the first time in the history of barbados even with most employed that patriotic citizens those people not relying on govt handouts ,yes volunteers have given of their time to clean up barbados,you are one sorry loser.pathetic jerk..

  5. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    When we look at some of the systems over and away, I wonder at time why we have not adopted some.
    In many of the countries where I sojourned, they had Volunteer / Auxiliary Firemen, Police, Ambulance Men, Life Guards ,etc etc , who were all highly trained and able to augment the regulars. In Barbados we only have Volunteer/ Auxiliary Soldiers.Says a lot ,eh?

  6. PLANTATION DEEDS FROM 1926TO 2014 MASSIVE FRAUD LANDTAX BILLS AND NO DEEDS, BARBADOS DLP/BLP MASSIVE PONZI FRAUD Avatar
    PLANTATION DEEDS FROM 1926TO 2014 MASSIVE FRAUD LANDTAX BILLS AND NO DEEDS, BARBADOS DLP/BLP MASSIVE PONZI FRAUD

    We never seen a white life guard as yet? Do they need a Police letter.

  7. David Avatar
    David

    Let us summarise, send home the experience life guards and therefore unable to service the challenging beaches on the East side of the island like the Crane BUT maintain the same level of consultants, parliamentary secretaries and ministers. Those at the bottom must suffer all the time.

  8. Hamilton Hill Avatar
    Hamilton Hill

    @ Caswell . ..I take your point pertaining to the fact that jobs were lost and believe me I really did not factor such into my thought process. My bad, for which I apologize to all affected in that regard. The plight of the police however is something that has been stuck in my craw for ever…In relation to the free Labour given by those poor souls, rather than seeking notice I see them as well intentioned.I just hope that their civic awareness remains intact so that they help save Barbados come next election day. I hope that they too can see no reason to cast a vote for any candidate on the DLP ticket.

  9. Hamilton Hill Avatar
    Hamilton Hill

    This bunch has accepted that they are going to be banished for a long time, so they have adopted a mentality of callousness. Our problem is that the likes of Barney Lynch are waiting in the wings. We are screwed!

  10. David Avatar
    David

    Policing is an essential service. This is a consideration to be factored. It cannot be compared to other work groups. It must always be treated different.

  11. T J Avatar
    T J

    I…….. sometimes travel on the Sam Lord’s Castle bus, and more often than not tourists would board it and ask the driver to put them off at Crane Beach. Can you imagined this hitting the Internet? Can you imagine what damage it would do to the tourism industry?……..

    Tourist have drowned on beaches with and without lifeguards in Barbados in the past. I frequent Crane Beach most of my life. Once, along with some other men from my village, I jumped from that small cliff into the sea and you have to wait until a wave is coming to jump in or else you would hit the bottom and cause some injury to yourself. One of the most beautiful beaches on this island but its not a beach for people that cannot swim strongly. They is a breakwater area where most non-swimmers stay and frolic but its a no-no to go out any further. And on the issue of lifeguards at Crane beach, sometimes you will see a lifeguard and at other times you will see the lifeguard station shut. Its been going on for eons, not just after the latest government cuts. To everyone please take precaution on all beaches especially those on the East and South East coast.

  12. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    TJ
    YOUR ADVICE RE To everyone please take precaution on all beaches especially those on the East and South East coast GOES WITHOUT SAYING
    I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY .BAJANS CAN NOT PERCEIVE WHAT YOU HAVE SAID LIFE GUARD OR NO GUARD.

    IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THERE MIGHT BE A TEMPORARY UNAVAILABILITY OF LIFEGUARDS, BUT CERTAINLY BAJANS SHOULD OBSERVE THE DICTUM THAT “THE SEA HAS NO BACKDOOR” AND EXERCISE THE NECESSARY COMMON SENSE AND CAUTION WHEN VISITING THE BEACH.

    CLEARLY THIS WAS NOT THE CASE IN THE RECENT DROWNING AT THE CRANE

  13. David Avatar
    David

    A society will always put measures in place to protect people from themselves. If we were to assume everyone made intelligent de decisions then we wouldn’t need rules or safeguards. These are the kind of decisions we manage in societies to determine the kind of society we want to build maintain.

  14. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    A society will always put measures in place to protect people from themselves. BUT PEOPLE MUST MAKE INTELLIGENT DECISIONS OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES

    TJ POINTED OUT THAT One of the most beautiful beaches on this island but its not a beach for people that cannot swim strongly. They is a breakwater area where most non-swimmers stay and frolic but its a no-no to go out any further. And on the issue of lifeguards at Crane beach, sometimes you will see a lifeguard and at other times you will see the lifeguard station shut. Its been going on for eons, not just after the latest government cuts.

    if there is no life guard folk should exercise the necessary caution
    SOCIETY OR GOVERNMENT CAN NOT BE BLAMED FOR POOR DECISIONS BY INDIVIDUALS

    ALL PEOPLE HAVE MADE POOR DECISIONS AT ONE TIME OR OTHER, e,g POOR CHOICES IN MARRIAGE. IS SOCIETY TO BE BLAMED OR THAT? WHAT MEASURES CAN SOCIETY PUT IN PLACE TO PROTECT A PERSON FROM THAT?

    IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THERE MIGHT BE A TEMPORARY UNAVAILABILITY OF LIFEGUARDS, BUT CERTAINLY BAJANS SHOULD OBSERVE THE DICTUM THAT “THE SEA HAS NO BACKDOOR” AND EXERCISE THE NECESSARY COMMON SENSE AND CAUTION WHEN VISITING THE BEACH.

    CLEARLY THIS WAS NOT THE CASE IN THE RECENT DROWNING AT THE CRANE Ah lie?

  15. lighthouse Avatar
    lighthouse

    People wunnah does talk a lot long garbage. What was the cause of death? Drowning or physical injury? Was it not stupid to be jumping from a cliff into a rocky sea? Some of wunnah need to take politics outta wunnah mouts. Barbadians have been mendicant for too long.” Every day the bucket go ah well, One day the bottom ah go drop out” – Robert Nesta Marley. The freeness has come to roost. Another issue is this mad woman who wants to bring Nigerian students here. First world countries are contemplating curbing travel to those countries with ebola and the UN predicts a steep rise in infections. She Donna ST Hill seems only to care about her image and her pocket. WE here in Barbados do not care how much money Nigeria has. Let them keep their ebola and we our sanity. To hell with Donna St. Hell. WE are poor but not hand to mouth

  16. GEORGIE PORGIE Avatar
    GEORGIE PORGIE

    lighthouse | September 24, 2014 at 1:59 PM |
    People wunnah does talk a lot long garbage. What was the cause of death? Drowning or physical injury? Was it not stupid to be jumping from a cliff into a rocky sea? Some of wunnah need to take politics outta wunnah mouts.

    SIR YOU ARE QUITE CORRECT
    NO ONE HAS CONSIDERED THE CAUSE OF DEATH
    IF DROWNING WAS IT SECONDARY TO INJURIES THAT WOULD HAVE SERIOUSLY AFFECT THE VICTIMS ABILITY TO SWIM?

    YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE issue OF this mad woman who wants to bring Nigerian students here HAS SERIOUS MERIT IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT RISE IN THE INCIDENCE/PREVALENCE OF EBOLA C..

  17. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    “Since Crane Beach is a public beach, a lifeguard is provided by the Barbados Government – however, swimmers should exercise caution at all times
    Beach users are advised to avoid swimming when the red flag is flying”

  18. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    @Lighthouse
    Its not only Donna St Hill , who is pushing for the Nigerians to come here, but also the lady who owns, or runs , the hotel in St Lawrence where these student are to be accommodated. The crunch line appears to be ,” Barbados will loose out on good foreign exchange,” so lay back and tek it.

  19. lighthouse Avatar
    lighthouse

    Let me tell you something Colonel Buggy I aint tekking nutting lying down. Donna St. Hell and the hotel woman seem to be witches. We aint want foreign exchange at such a high risk. I thought that the BU family would be dragging this issue to bits all this time to let the fellows in Government like Ronald Jones who had so much to say to understand what we really mean. If Dengue feva and chicken got ya got all of we so fraid, can wunnah imagine Ebola in Bim. The same tourist trade would dead promptly. Even if some person from abroad hear we got summuch Nigerians here at this time them aint coming bout here. Wunnah remember how them giant African snails had we chipping? Donna St Hell like she aint got nuh brain. She like she went way too long. She tekking Bajans fuh granted. She better know that we ready to ostracise she and them Nigerians cause she all is trampling all over them ebola places. She better watch she self before we label she “Persona Non Grata” and cancel she passport or demand that she get tested or put she she in the new Enmore place fuh quarantine when she arrives bout here. Even more we cant trust Nigerians they are known as tricksters all over the world. They even trying to scam Bajans via a lot of cell phone tricky scam text messages. Look Donna St Hell get lost!

  20. David Avatar
    David

    The point is no lifeguards were on duty at the Crane Beach, a public beach, when the drowning occurred. Nobody knows if a lifeguard was on duty if the boy, idiot or not, could have been saves. You may wish to view TripAdvisor to read about the near misses at the Crane Beach.

  21. Clone Avatar
    Clone

    Rumour has it that government gave the go ahead for the Nigerians to come.
    Madness.

  22. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    David, I believe in the theological concept of Predestination which is in essence the polar opposite of existentialism. I believe that our lives were predetermined before the day of our birth. Now case in point: irrespective of how many lifeguards were there the day that child passed from life to death, it would have made any difference. Innocent children die everyday of Cancer and many other relative diseases and this forces us to question the reality of God. Because how could an all loving God allow such a thing to happen to an innocent child. When we have adults who are committing or have committed some the most atrocious crimes imaginable, living to advanced and in relatively good health.

  23. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    But anyone who understands the historicity of Christianity knows that God does not cause bad things to happen to good people. He allows them to happen in order to teach humanity a lesson Bush Tea.

  24. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    David

    Please allow me the opportunity to make this last point before you censor me, as you have done yesterday. ( what I am about to articulate is interlaced with what I have already spoken about above) In 1982 a good friend of mine who had a burning zeal for the Lord went to Browns beach as part of his church celebration. And while he was swimming his foot got stuck in a suckhole as it is commonly described in Barbados, and he drowned at the tender age of 19. His body was discovered the next morning which only added fuel to the unpleasnt turned of events at the time. But in retrospect, this entire affair forced me to question the existence of God, but of course, I had little or no real understanding of the Bible and God’s purpose for humanity at the time. But, overall I took from my friend’s death that day as a living reminder: that when God call on us to shed our earthly tabernacle, it doesn’t matter how young, old, good, bad or even your level of commitment to God is. When He said well done thy great and wonderful servant, there isn’t anyone or anything humanly possible that can reverse the eventuality of this predetermined course in our human existence. So I give God thanks for everyday, but with the thought in mind that there are innocent children out there, who are dying as we speak, and as a direct consequence of their designed/predetermined course in this life.

  25. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Colonel Buggy | September 23, 2014 at 10:50 PM |
    When we look at some of the systems over and away, I wonder at time why we have not adopted some.
    In many of the countries where I sojourned, they had Volunteer / Auxiliary Firemen, Police, Ambulance Men, Life Guards ,etc etc , who were all highly trained and able to augment the regulars. In Barbados we only have Volunteer/ Auxiliary Soldiers.Says a lot ,eh?..
    ………………………………………………………………………………
    The Attorney General recently announced that ( a corps of) Auxiliary Firemen will we established and trained to supplement the Regulars.
    A Good Move

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