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15 minutes recalls that the prohibition on the sale of alcoholic beverages in non-stationary buildings and pavilions entered into force on January 1. As a result, almost all the cafes that existed before disappeared on the coast.
Alcohol traffickers returned to the beaches
In adopting such a ban, the authorities argued that a large proportion of the chokers were intoxicated with alcohol and should not be sold near a body of water. However, J.Pirožnikas assures that this prohibition has borne the opposite fruits: tourists themselves bring alcoholic beverages to the beach.
“Containers full of champagne, bring bottles of wine and other strong alcoholic beverages. This year, the problem is bigger than it used to be when people could officially buy beer at a café and drink it. Now just bring it, “he said.
Luke April / 15min photo / Police raid on the beach
Furthermore, J.Pirožnikas revealed that the illegal alcohol trade returned to the beaches this year. During June, the police, along with rescuers, arrested one of those traffickers, but about ten were searched.
“It just came to our attention then. We met for the first time in 10-15 years,” he said.
According to J.Pirožnikas, young people who take out beer ask for up to 6-8 euros for a can.
“As a lifeguard leader, I am not interested in anyone drinking on the beach and everyone being sober. There is a proverb: “Drunk by the sea up to your knees.” He is going to cool off, to hit, he thinks he will recover earlier, but vice versa, “he warns.
Luke April / 15min photo / In the middle of the week people went to the beach.
In addition, the Palanga rescue manager wants to draw tourists’ attention to the threat of the coronavirus. Both alcohol traffickers and chebureks are sold through large numbers of people and are unprotected and therefore can spread the disease.
“They carry, they sell, there is no protection, no disinfection, no documents, no permits,” he explained.
Drones and jet skis make work easier
According to J.Pirožnikas, this year Palanga rescuers bought 3 drones. With them, they monitor and record merchants with alcohol and chebureks.
“We capture and when that person passes, the police call him and complete the protocol of violation of administrative rights, and we provide the images and evidence,” he said.
VIDEO: Palanga rescuers use drones on the beaches: “We also registered illegal trade”
Additionally, this year, rescuers began learning how to operate jet skis to rescue drowning people. Previously, you couldn’t do it because every rescuer would have needed to have a pilot’s license.
“Now I don’t need it and I can train myself,” he assured me.
Luke April / 15min photo / Rescue drone
Drones are also used to inform tourists, for example, that they have sailed too far into the sea, and to protect themselves against the coronavirus.
“To keep contact to a minimum, but we can warn tourists. At a distance of 5 to 10 meters from the drone, everything is heard and you can say what you want,” he said.
Preventive work pays off
According to J.Pirožnikas, the culture of tourists is changing every year, but it is not happening as fast as one would like.
“I remember 14 years ago, when I started this job, I felt pain and sadness. You came to the vacationer and they worked you on dog days on every word. Then we started filming it all, watching it, saying that we were filming a conversation, asking not to offend, and people started to change little by little. It used to be difficult, but now it has really changed for the better, “said the interlocutor.
According to him, some people complain that it is not the job of rescuers to monitor alcohol consumption. But the rescue commander thinks otherwise: “If we rescue a tourist on the coast, we will not have to rescue him in the water.”
“It is preventive work that has been very worthwhile. If a drunk man reaches the sea, he can drown very quickly. That person does not ask for help, he does not react, he simply goes to the bottom,” said J.Pirožnikas.
Luke April / 15min photo / Police raid on the beach
17 people in one place
There are currently 49 rescuers working in 17 positions and another 10 people are on leave. Typically, about 70 lifeguards work on the beaches during the summer, and if the quarantine had not been lifted, they would have increased to 80.
According to J.Pirožnikas, the rescue profession has remained prestigious so far and 17 people come to a place in the selection. It is true that some of the hired employees leave after the first week.
“It just came to our attention then. The rescue profession is prestigious, we should always wear a uniform, smile, politely communicate with tourists. If I discover that the rescuer is naked on the job, he receives a disciplinary offense and, as a result, You don’t get a supplement if you work well. Others come to work and see the need to warn the children, watch the alcohol, go out because they think it will be like the United States, many girls sitting, but that is not the case. rescuers is really tough and dangerous, “he said.
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