Rescuers from Palanga hadn’t seen him yet: holidaymakers intimidated by the virus surprised with his wit

– Looking at the people lying on the seashore like a herring in a barrel, it doesn’t even seem that the world and Lithuania are going through a public health crisis, a coronavirus pandemic …

– I can’t talk about all the people on the beach, but for us, the beach lifeguards and myself, their manager, this pandemic has not disappeared from our heads. Rather, we advise all tourists to keep a safe distance through the loudspeaker. Many representatives of the media have asked me this summer if I should wear a mask on the beach. I will answer categorically: no. But people need to stay safe and protect themselves and others.

– Is this being done?

– During several weekends that gathered many people to the seashore – and to Palanga – it was impossible. However, when I looked at the images of our drone, I also noticed interesting things: some people tended to follow the “kovido” requirements for safety. Our pictures show that some even built castles or “fortresses” out of sand, signs that you can’t get up to a bed.

– Did the representatives of the National Center for Public Health distribute masks to tourists on the beach? Have you warned them about safety?

– Frankly, I have not seen such things. I don’t think they went. I can only speak of rescuers, we follow the established instructions. In that case, if a person needed urgent help, for example, a finger injury or something similar, we would give the victim or victim a face mask and ask them to put it on. Only then do we provide help. For the safety of rescuers, we have gone to great lengths to restrict, or even disallow, outsiders from entering our main rescue station.

– But beach rescuers apparently were at particularly high risk compared to other professions.

– Of course. Fortunately, we don’t need to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation; we have oxygen machines and other means. Our rescuers with me, I’m talking about motorized rescuers, they always have an oxygen device and other first aid equipment.

– How many Russian-speaking vacationers have decreased on Palanga beach this year?

– Both Russian-speaking and English-speaking vacationers have fallen by more than 50 percent. Even up to 70 percent for some nationalities.

– But the people on the beach – nothing less?

– Certainly not. It was like last year or the year before. We only had a lot of Lithuanians who often choose other countries for their holidays.

– What are the accident statistics on Palanga beach this year?

– We registered 16 drownings, all were rescued. Only a nine-year-old girl, who came to Palanga with a group of other children, were not properly cared for, was resuscitated. In the case of groups of children, their leader must dive into the sea, look at the shore and see the children bathing. A maximum of ten children can bathe at the same time.

– Have you felt the impact of the amendment to the Alcohol Law, which allows light alcohol to be marketed on the coast since the beginning of August?

– Really so. Containers of alcohol have fallen significantly on the beach and we are seeing far fewer people carrying alcohol with them to the seashore until August. Some of them even traded it. By the time the amendment went into effect, there were many more drunk vacationers on the beach. Some drank them before reaching the beach. Water-soaked alcohol packets on the seashore were a common sight this year.

– Did your two drones on the beach pay off?

– Yes, it worked. The workload of our rescuers has decreased and even drones have saved our human resources. If a person was sailing to sea beyond the allowed limit, we sent a drone to warn that person. It is true that some people, even when the drone turned the wheels around their heads in the sea and warned in different languages, not everyone always understood what was happening here and what they wanted from them … Next year we hope have a drone that can drag a person up to 50 kilograms from danger zones closer to the coast.

– He is known as a strict guide. How many rescuers did you say goodbye to this year?

– With eight. But this year there was a lot of competition to work as a lifeguard on the beach – up to 12 applications for 1st place. This was due to the fact that some people were unable to return to their jobs abroad due to the “fight”. Unlike in previous years, this year we did not make live selections. For this we use social networks, virtual communication. As before, the most important thing for me was not only the physical qualities of the savior, but also the human ones: the ability to communicate, observe, concentrate.

– During peak hours, how many lifeguards worked on Palanga beach?

– 68.

– What is the average salary of your savior?

– About 750 euros in hand. Some experienced rescuers also get 1,000 euros or even 1,200 euros in their hands.

– What else would you emphasize?

– Before the season, I had to attend meetings at various levels of government and individual ministries. I managed to make sure that the beach rescuers didn’t have to have a pilot’s license. That burden was heavy for us. However, now the commanders of the largest rescue stations themselves can organize such courses and issue such certificates.

– Is the end of the season approaching and you?

– Yes. Depending on the weather, we will have not one, but one or two lifeguards at each station. The number of patrols using quads or jet skis will also decrease.