The Mijas Town Hall has activated its full-time lifeguard and rescue service, operating daily between 11;00 and 20:00, to ensure the safety of bathers and users across the municipality’s 16 beaches. From this past Monday, 1st of June, until the 30th of September, 62 lifeguards will monitor the entire coastline in what the council highlighted “is the best-staffed service in the whole of Andalusia. Not all municipalities have such a comprehensive team of professionals, and we can be proud of that in Mijas”.
For his part, the coordinator of Socorrismo Málaga in Mijas, Gonzalo Botta, emphasised that, once again this year, “our main objective is zero casualties, and that is why all efforts, training and all the necessary work are being carried out across the entire service”.
- De los 84 efectivos, 62 conforman el equipo permanente y 24 más realizan labores de apoyo.
- JACOBO PEREA.
The mayoress of Mijas, Ana Mata (PP), visited the operation on Wednesday 3rd, which was based at El Torreón beach. There, she was shown the technical equipment and met the team, which, in addition to the 62 full-time staff, includes a further 24 support personnel, making a total of 86 people. The mayoress highlighted that “90 per cent of the staff are registered residents of Mijas, because the Town Hall prioritises local employment in municipal services; many of them are young people who combine their studies which allows them to save up a bit of money”.
Furthermore, the mayor emphasised that this deployment is the result of a two-year contract awarded to the company Socorrismo Málaga, at an annual cost of 1.56 million euros, with the possibility of a two-year extension.
- Hay un coordinador de servicio, 40 socorristas acuáticos asignados a las diferentes playas.
- JACOBO PEREA.
Personnel
Of the 86 staff members, 62 make up the permanent team and a further 24 carry out support duties. The permanent team comprises a service coordinator, 40 lifeguards assigned to the various beaches, a nurse with two emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in the ambulance, ten lifeguards on accessible beaches equipped for assisted swimming, three lifeguard skippers assigned to the rescue boats, three lifeguards accompanying them, and two lifeguards assigned to the Coastal Path.
Mata highlighted that all members of this rescue and lifesaving team are trained and certified in nursing, lifesaving, adapted lifesaving, boat skippering or emergency medical care, depending on their professional role. “Every year we improve a little more, based on the needs we see on the beaches and also by addressing the issues raised by the users themselves”, said the mayoress.
- A los 62 trabajadores a tiempo completo suma 24 más para labores de apoyo.
- JACOBO PEREA.
Cooperation
Botta also called for the cooperation of visitors: “Please respect the instructions of the lifeguards, pay attention to the flags indicating sea conditions, and let’s all enjoy this season and Mijas”.
Public address system
One of the main new features of this contract is the installation of a public address system to manage any emergency or alarm through pre-programmed messages in multiple languages. It is already operational across the municipality’s 16 beaches.
- El sistema de megafonía servirá para la gestión de cualquier emergencia o alarma.
- JACOBO PEREA.
Regarding the vehicles included in the operation, the mayoresss reported that they consist of an ambulance, three jet skis (based in La Luna, La Cala and El Charcón), two bicycles for patrols along the Coastal Path Litoral, a rescue buggy, and a rescue drone.
The rescue buggy is adapted for medical care and rescue operations, equipped with a trauma pack, oxygen therapy equipment, a spinal board, a cervical collar, a rescue tube and a lifebuoy.
As for the drone, it is equipped with a waterproof and moisture-resistant loudspeaker to alert bathers to any incidents at sea; it will also carry two self-inflating life jackets. The landing pad will be clearly marked to protect public safety.
- El coordinador de Socorrismo Málaga en Mijas, Gonzalo Botta, con la alcaldesa, Ana Mata, explicando las funciones del buggy adaptado.
- JACOBO PEREA.
Bathers
At each accessible beach, amphibious equipment is available to ensure safe swimming for people with reduced mobility or disabilities, consisting of two amphibious chairs with an integrated structure to ensure buoyancy for users weighing up to 130 kilos, an electric hoist for highly dependent individuals with a maximum load capacity of 200 kilos, a set of adapted crutches and a pair of life jackets.
It is worth noting that the service was already fully operational during Easter, and that every weekend in May (with the same to apply in October) the coastline was monitored between 11:00 and 19:00. Furthermore, every weekend of the year the coastline is monitored from the Coastal Path by two lifeguards.
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