Every culture and community has its emblematic heroes: Texas, the Cowboy Capital of the World, has its wranglers and Rangers; Alaska is defined in the public imagination by its daring bush pilots. And when we think of the South Fork? We think of fishermen — and lifeguards. Lifeguards in their red swimming gear, diving into harm’s way to save others, are as representative of the East Hampton spirit as the baymen in their tall waders. We all respect, love, and support our lifeguards, and right now is a moment when we can flip the script and have their backs for a change.
The United States Lifesaving Association, a nationwide nonprofit advocacy group, has initiated a campaign to gather public support for House Resolution 1188, which calls on Congress to recognize open-water lifeguards as official “emergency response providers,” and the Hampton Lifeguard Association last week joined the push, asking East End residents to spread the word.
What’s it all about? In short, open-water lifeguards — those trained to safeguard swimmers and other visitors at oceans, bays, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs — are highly trained but (outside of the states of New Jersey and Hawaii, according to NBC News) are not officially classified alongside police, firefighters, and emergency medical service workers.
Few would deny that lifeguards are first responders, but they are not federally recognized as such. This means they are not assured certain benefits, including death benefits should they die on the job and coverage for mental-health services following traumatic incidents. If the resolution is eventually approved by the House, it doesn’t automatically guarantee that lifeguards from coast to coast get these first-responder benefits, but the federal classification as first responders is the necessary first step in that direction.
It’s also about respect. Our ocean and bay lifeguards are trained not just intensively in water rescue, and not only do they need to meet exacting and grueling physical standards, but must be expertly versed in advanced first aid and CPR. On busy summer weekends, they regularly save lives.
The first weekend of August, for example, was one for the record books, with East Hampton Town lifeguards pulling 137 people from the water. According to reporting in The Star the following week, 90 percent of those assisted had been swimming off downtown Montauk, on so-called “Hotel Row.” Thomas Brierley, the town’s assistant chief lifeguard, estimated that some 6,300 people were on the beach in Montauk that weekend. Two years before, in August of 2024, East Hampton Village lifeguards performed 22 “saves” in one weekend. It’s blatantly obvious that the service of these first responders is of critical importance in a resort community like ours.
The U.S.L.A. is seeking additional co-sponsors of House Resolution 1188 — and asking the public to join in the conversation. The resolution’s formal sponsor is Representative Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey. According to pulseofthehill.com, a research platform that tracks the progress of legislation, our own congressman here in the First District, Nick LaLota, has joined among some 20-odd bipartisan co-sponsors. The resolution, introduced in April, is now under review by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which vets it before it can go up for a vote.
“To a lifeguard, the rescue is the greatest reward,” Amagansett’s chief lifeguard, Jeff Thompson, said last month. While that is surely true, it’s time to also afford lifeguards not just the recognition and respect afforded their peers, but the practical benefits, as well.