Nearly 300 kids learn CPR, rescue techniques in Okaloosa, Walton junior lifeguard programs

Nearly 300 kids have spent the summer performing CPR and mock rescues to give them a firsthand look at what it’s like to be a lifeguard on Okaloosa and Walton county beaches.

Several junior lifeguard programs across the area started July 11. Most beach safety divisions have been hosting the summer camps for nearly 15 years, with Destin having the longest-running program at 16 years.

Each year, word of mouth brings in more kids looking to learn about water safety while also having fun.

The program is so popular in Walton County that South Walton Fire District Beach Safety Director David Vaughan said he starts getting calls from parents in December.

SWFD and the Destin Fire Control District break the program into June and July sessions to accommodate more youths.

“We release registration in April, and we just do that internally on Facebook and through our website. I usually sell out the first June session, which is little kids, within the first day,” Vaughan said. “This year was no exception. It’s a competitive process.”

More than 200 applied and a record 160 kids are in the South Walton Fire District’s 2022 junior lifeguard program. More than 50 kids registered for Okaloosa County Beach Safety’s program, and close to 85 signed up to participate in Destin.

Most programs last about three weeks, with kids spending anywhere from 30 to 50 hours on the beach. Those in the programs range from 8 to 17 years old, and all complete a basic water test before activities kick off.

Building confidence, skills in water

Okaloosa County Beach Safety Chief Rich Huffnagle said that means being able to swim 200 meters in open water. The test is similar in Walton County, where Vaughan said kids swim out to a buoy while accompanied by lifeguards.

“If you finish the swim and you’re in one piece and you want to continue, then you’re in,” Vaughan said. “The goal is to teach water competency. We don’t necessarily want kids who are already superstars. What we’re trying to do is create a base level of confidence for these kids.”

Some start the program barely being able to swim the 200 meters, and in just two weeks make vast improvements, Huffnagle said.

Tom Miller, lead instructor for Destin’s junior lifeguard program, said the first week of the program typically is focused on helping the kids gain confidence in the water.

That includes teaching them about different surf conditions, rip currents and the marine life that can be found along the Gulf Coast. They also learn how to maintain control in surf conditions where there are strong longitudinal currents.

“Usually, by the end of the first week we can pretty much determine their skill level, their confidence level and things like that,” Miller said. “In the second and third week, we really start pushing on the skills themselves because they’ve learned how to balance on the board, paddle on the board.”

As the weeks progress, they learn things such as first aid, CPR and AED training, and various rescue techniques. Some also tour local agencies such as the Okaloosa Island Fire Department and Okaloosa County EMS to see how first responders do their jobs.

“They’re challenged physically every day, which is big — and mentally,” Huffnagle said. “They’ll learn every rescue technique that we use in the open water setting. Then they learn some board skills. There’s a lot that goes on in that two weeks."

Many of the drills reflect real-life skills needed to be a lifeguard.

Miller said a big focus is being able to run through the sand and get a board out past the water breaking on the shore. They then paddle out, put the “person” on the board and head back to shore.

They also do entry practices in which they learn a skill called “porpoising,” Miller said. Porpoising involves running out and diving under the waves until they get to a depth where they can start swimming — similar to a dolphin.

“The most important thing for the program is that they learn to self-rescue,” Huffnagle said. “In this area you don’t have to travel far to get to open water, so we want the kids and the youth in the area to see this, and we put them in situations where it challenges them so they get a level of comfort.”

Putting knowledge to the test, real-world applications

The programs each culminate with an activity or competition that puts what the kids learned to test. Each year, participants in Okaloosa County’s junior lifeguard program take a 30-foot plunge off the Okaloosa Island Pier to celebrate their graduation.

“It’s something they have to muster up for every year, but they do it. And then you’ve got the ones that are walking through that threshold for the first time and it’s a gut check for them,” Huffnagle said. “That’s what we want to see. That’s where they say ‘I want to do this’ and really test themselves.”

Kids in Walton County and Destin compete against one another in a various events toward end of their programs. This year’s competition will be July 30. One of the events called the "Ironguard" incorporates running, swimming and paddling.

“We push the kids to learn the skills so that they then have a competitive event to demonstrate their skills at the end of the year,” Miller said.

The junior lifeguard programs are intended to help kids build skills on the water that they can use in everyday life. But it also becomes a career option for some. About 60% of youths in Okaloosa County’s junior lifeguard program are returning from previous years.

“Hopefully those are Okaloosa County’s next open-water lifeguards,” Huffnagle said.

Miller said more than 20 kids have gone on to become Destin lifeguards after completing the program. At least 10 have done the same in Walton County. There are multiple 15-year-olds in the SWFD program this year who have been participating since they were 9.

“This year we have six that have come up through the program that are actually beach lifeguards on towers, four wheelers or at the harbor,” Miller said. “At 16 you can become a lifeguard and you work the tower. Then at 18, through training, you work up to being a zone lifeguard.”

The recruitment aspect is important at a time when beach safety divisions across the nation are experiencing shortages in lifeguards. But no matter how far kids decide to take their skills, Vaughan said he sees several benefits in the programs.

“It’s just a really fun and cool component,” he said. “It’s one of the things we’re most proud of as far as being able to do community outreach from a fire district and beach safety perspective. It’s something that has value any way you look at it.”