May 2007         

County moving forward with new Beach Patrol headquarters

Volusia County’s Beach Patrol soon will have a new, state-of-the-art station that will serve as a command post for this dedicated corps of tripletrained professionals. After years of planning, careful site selection and design modifications, construction on the new facility will begin soon. It is expected to be operational in 2008.

“This project is sorely needed,” said Scott Petersohn, captain of the Volusia County Beach Patrol. “The buildings that are being replaced are long past their expected life span. Volusia County beaches are among the best in the country. Its Beach Patrol is among the most experienced and most respected in the world, making the world’s most famous beach and the Volusia County Beach Patrol synonymous with life saving.”

The business of saving lives on Volusia County beaches dates back to 1906 as the construction of bridges and hotels and beach racing began to generate worldwide publicity, causing the area to become a magnet for wealthy individuals in search of rest and relaxation. The lifeguard corps included a handful of skilled and courageous young men at the time. Today’s lifeguard corps includes 65 men and women serving fulltime as Beach Patrol officers. Each is a certified open-water lifeguard, state certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and sworn Florida law enforcement officer. There are 16 Beach Service Specialists (BSS) that serve year round as parttime lifeguards and EMTs. Their duties include staffing towers, dispatch, maintenance and more. The corps also includes more than 200 parttime lifeguards.

While today’s Beach Patrol officers are trained meticulously and highly skilled, they share the same passion protecting beachgoers that has prevailed among the lifeguards in Volusia County for more than 100 years.

Public safety along the world’s most famous beach these days is a complex challenge. Traffic, tides, environment, weather, crowds and sea creatures all come into play. With tens of thousands of residents and millions of visitors enjoying the beach, it is no surprise that the Beach Patrol conducts 2,500 – 3,500 water rescues and more than 1,000 first aid responses each year.

Presently, the Beach Patrol operates from aging stations in Daytona Beach and Daytona Beach Shores.

The Main Street Station in Daytona Beach was built in the 1960s and has deteriorated from termites and the ravages of weather. In addition to its substandard condition, it needed to be removed to make way for a new oceanfront park being created by the City of Daytona Beach.

Also slated for removal is the other station in Daytona Beach Shores. This facility was condemned after the hurricanes of 2004, but patched together and returned to service until the new headquarters is complete.

The new three-story headquarters will be built at Volusia County’s Sunsplash Park, just south of International Speedway Boulevard approach, the busiest section of the beach. Including decks and garages, the facility will cover 23,417 square feet and is being built at a cost of $5.3 million. Its function and design are based on the complex duties of today’s lifeguard corps. It includes space for lifeguard operations, first aid, equipment storage, lifeguard storage and lockers, meeting and training facilities, observation decks and displays of lifeguard memorabilia.

The new headquarters will enable the lifeguards to continue their tradition of safety and service, and it will help them to keep up with the latest techniques, which often are measured against fellow safety professionals from other communities. For instance, the Volusia County Beach Patrol has hosted many regional, national and international lifeguard championships in which thousands of competitors have competed. These lifeguard competitions include events based on lifesaving skills resulting in Volusia County teams earning state and national honors.