The Island’s beach lifeguards back on duty
This year, the contract stipulates that there will be a total of 95 employees: 83 lifeguards, nine chief lifeguards and three managers. There will be 38 different lifeguard stations on the island.
“I am very glad that we are going back to work,” said Mr Prathaiyut today. “We will be on the beaches from 8:30am to 6:30pm everyday.”Everyone has to follow the rules such as no drinking alcohol, no fighting with tourists or other people while on duty, no ignoring people in trouble in the sea, or always do your job well.
This year’s 10-month contract was signed last Friday. The sticking point this year was the 2.2mn baht required to be held in deposits in order to bid for the contract, explained PLC President Prathaiyut Chuayuan.
The contract is set to expire in 2016 at about the same time as the annual southwest monsoon season starts in Phuket, bringing dangerously large waves and deadly rip currents to many of the island’s most popular west-coast beaches.