The Marinha Grande City Council will exceptionally hire lifeguards for three beaches, given the widespread inability of concessionaires to guarantee this service during the bathing season due to the impact of Tropical Depression Kristin.
In a press release, the municipality revealed that “it will ensure, exceptionally, the deployment of lifeguards for surveillance and assistance to bathers on the municipality’s beaches” during the upcoming bathing season, “following the devastating effects of Storm Kristin, through an investment exceeding 200 thousand euros.”
“The decision arises after the finding of the widespread impossibility of concessionaires to guarantee this service, due to the significant damage recorded to seaside infrastructures, which compromised their operability, safety and economic sustainability,” explained the municipality.
Facing this situation and noting the “impossibility of ensuring the total interdiction of the extensive stretch of coastline of the municipality, about 18 kilometers,” the municipality deemed “indispensable to implement an alternative device” to “safeguard human life and prevent risk situations, namely drownings.”
Cited in the press release, the president of the Câmara, Paulo Vicente, highlighted the exceptional character of the measure.
“We are facing an extraordinary situation, resulting from Storm Kristin, which profoundly affected our coastline. This decision is taken exclusively to ensure the safety of residents and visitors, guaranteeing surveillance conditions on our beaches,” he said.
Paulo Vicente noted that the measure does not substitute the responsibilities of concessionaires, describing it as “a temporary and subsidiary solution, motivated by exceptional circumstances.”
In the municipality, severely affected by Tropical Depression Kristin for more than five months, the City Council plans the presence of 18 certified lifeguards, distributed across the Vieira, Praia Velha, and São Pedro de Moel beaches, starting Saturday when the bathing season begins.
The arrangement will remain in operation until September 13, from 10:00 to 20:00.
“In addition to the human resources, the service includes essential support means, such as automatic external defibrillators, intervention vehicles, logistical structures and medical support on an on-call basis [prevention], reinforcing the capacity to respond in emergency situations.”
