Helene's Blog

On Saturday, July 22nd, there will be an open water swim at Ditch Plains Beach.  This event offers a rare opportunity to swim in an ocean open-water race on the beautiful East End of Long Island. There will be three distance categories to ensure that swimmers of all ages and abilities can participate. The race is organized by members from East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue Squad.  All proceeds benefit the Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation.

Distance Categories:

1/2 mile - $25 (in advance) $40 (day of)

1 mile - $40 (in advance) $55 (day of)

5K - $55 (in advance) $70 (day of)

The top fundraiser will win an Xterra wetsuit!!!!

Start time - 7 am

Register in advance at:  www.active.com Keyword Montauk Playhouse

EHVOR is comprised of volunteer Suffolk County Certified Ocean Lifeguards who respond to 911 dispatched emergencies year-round in East Hampton

www.easthamptonoceanrescue.org

     

 

On Thursday, July 20th, 2017, the annual East Hampton Main Beach Lifeguard Tournament will take place starting at 4 pm.

 

On Thursday, July 20th, 2017, the annual East Hampton Main Beach Lifeguard Tournament will take place starting at 4 pm.

On Saturday, October 15th, 2017, Surfers Healing, an organization that travels around the United States offering children with special needs, specifically those with autism, the opportunity to experience the wonders and magic of surfing in the ocean, will visit our East End at Ditch Plains in Montauk.

Members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue will be in force to volunteer their time for this amazing event. From 8 am to 2:30 pm, they will assist the children onto surfboards or transport them by jet ski out to some of the most talented surfers waiting to take them for the ride of their life.

Surfers Healing is making a difference in the lives of families and kids living with autism and other special needs.

Thinking in ones is where an effective change takes place.

One day at the beach, making a difference, one ride at a time!

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    Members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue

This year, National Beach Safety Week and Rip Current Awareness Week begins on Sunday, June 4^th and ends on June 11^th, the following Sunday.  Our waters can be a wonderful recreational resource, but they can also be treacherous. Lifeguards are provided in an effort to reduce the number of accidents at our local beaches, but we cannot do the job alone. An informed public is essential to maintaining adequate levels of beach and water safety. The objective of National Beach Safety Week is to make citizens aware of the need to be safe while in and near the water with special emphasis on the hazards associated with Rip Currents.

United States Lifeguard Association’s Top Ten Safety Tips:

Learn to Swim – Promote the YMCA and the Junior Lifeguard Program. Swim Near a Lifeguard. Swim with a Buddy. Check with the Lifeguards on daily conditions. Obey Posted Signs and Flags – And know your location for 911 calls. Keep the Beach and Water Clean – What you pack in, pack out! Learn Rip Current Safety. Enter Water Feet First. Wear a Life Jacket when appropriate or mandated. Use Sunscreen and Drink Plenty of Water.

 United States Lifesaving Association Lightning Safety Guidelines:

• Beaches and bodies of water do not offer protection from lightning. Every year, lightning strikes and kills people on or near bodies of water. Most lightning deaths and injuries occur during the summer season. As a rule, lightning occurs most frequently within 10 miles of a thunderstorm, but bolts of lightning can travel as far as 20 miles away from the thunderstorm.
• “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”

• Stop all activities and seek shelter in a solid building or hard-topped vehicle.
• Wait 30 minutes after storm to resume activities.

Rip Current Survival Tips:

Rip Currents can be killers. They are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore. The greatest safety precaution that can be taken is to recognize the danger of rip currents and always remember to swim at beaches with lifeguards.  

• Never Swim alone.
• Be cautious at all times. If in doubt, don’t go out!
• Swim at a lifeguarded beach whenever possible.
• Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards.
• If caught in a rip, remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
• Don’t fight the current. Swim out of the current, parallel to the shoreline.
• If unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
• If still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by facing the shore, waving your arms, and yelling for help.
• If you see a distressed swimmer, get help from a lifeguard or have someone call
• 9-1-1. Throw the victim something that floats and yell instructions on how to escape.

 Remember, many people drown while trying to save someone else from a rip current. The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), a national non-profit organization, and your local chapter, Hampton Lifeguard Association (HLA), are dedicated to improving beach safety in America. Check out our website at: 

 http://www.easthamptonoceanrescue.org

 Lifeguards for life!

 

    Members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue

This year, National Beach Safety Week and Rip Current Awareness Week begins on Sunday, June 4^th and ends on June 11^th, the following Sunday.  Our waters can be a wonderful recreational resource, but they can also be treacherous. Lifeguards are provided in an effort to reduce the number of accidents at our local beaches, but we cannot do the job alone. An informed public is essential to maintaining adequate levels of beach and water safety. The objective of National Beach Safety Week is to make citizens aware of the need to be safe while in and near the water with special emphasis on the hazards associated with Rip Currents.

United States Lifeguard Association’s Top Ten Safety Tips:

Learn to Swim – Promote the YMCA and the Junior Lifeguard Program. Swim Near a Lifeguard. Swim with a Buddy. Check with the Lifeguards on daily conditions. Obey Posted Signs and Flags – And know your location for 911 calls. Keep the Beach and Water Clean – What you pack in, pack out! Learn Rip Current Safety. Enter Water Feet First. Wear a Life Jacket when appropriate or mandated. Use Sunscreen and Drink Plenty of Water.

 United States Lifesaving Association Lightning Safety Guidelines:

• Beaches and bodies of water do not offer protection from lightning. Every year, lightning strikes and kills people on or near bodies of water. Most lightning deaths and injuries occur during the summer season. As a rule, lightning occurs most frequently within 10 miles of a thunderstorm, but bolts of lightning can travel as far as 20 miles away from the thunderstorm.
• “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”

• Stop all activities and seek shelter in a solid building or hard-topped vehicle.
• Wait 30 minutes after storm to resume activities.

Rip Current Survival Tips:

Rip Currents can be killers. They are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore. The greatest safety precaution that can be taken is to recognize the danger of rip currents and always remember to swim at beaches with lifeguards.  

• Never Swim alone.
• Be cautious at all times. If in doubt, don’t go out!
• Swim at a lifeguarded beach whenever possible.
• Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards.
• If caught in a rip, remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
• Don’t fight the current. Swim out of the current, parallel to the shoreline.
• If unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
• If still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by facing the shore, waving your arms, and yelling for help.
• If you see a distressed swimmer, get help from a lifeguard or have someone call
• 9-1-1. Throw the victim something that floats and yell instructions on how to escape.

 Remember, many people drown while trying to save someone else from a rip current. The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), a national non-profit organization, and your local chapter, Hampton Lifeguard Association (HLA), are dedicated to improving beach safety in America. Check out our website at: 

 http://www.easthamptonoceanrescue.org

 Lifeguards for life!

 

WWF's EARTH HOUR

 

WWF's EARTH HOUR

  On Sunday afternoon, March 5, 2017, members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue took part in a "Simulated Emergency Response Scenario Training" (SERS Training). The rescue swimmers were broken up into three groups and isolated in the gym area of the YMCA while an emergency situation was set up in the pool. Each group had five minutes to assess and rescue the multiple victims in the water.

The shallow end of the pool was considered the shoreline where Beach Command was stationed to give directions to their swimmers and to be in contact with Dispatch. The deep end of the pool was considered beyond the break. The winning group rescued all victims in under 4 minutes. The reasons - Good Beach Command directions and the fact that these rescue swimmers grabbed rescue equipment which consisted of the use of available torpes and rescue board to assist in their rescues.

This was a successful EHVOR training.

Lifeguards for Life!

  On Sunday afternoon, March 5, 2017, members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue took part in a "Simulated Emergency Response Scenario Training" (SERS Training). The rescue swimmers were broken up into three groups and isolated in the gym area of the YMCA while an emergency situation was set up in the pool. Each group had five minutes to assess and rescue the multiple victims in the water.

The shallow end of the pool was considered the shoreline where Beach Command was stationed to give directions to their swimmers and to be in contact with Dispatch. The deep end of the pool was considered beyond the break. The winning group rescued all victims in under 4 minutes. The reasons - Good Beach Command directions and the fact that these rescue swimmers grabbed rescue equipment which consisted of the use of available torpes and rescue board to assist in their rescues.

This was a successful EHVOR training.

Lifeguards for Life!

  New York State of United Teachers (NYSUT) is more than 600,000 people strong who "work in, or are retired from, New York's schools, colleges, and healthcare facilities. The union is made of up of classroom teachers, college and university faculty and professional staff, school bus drivers, custodians, secretaries, cafeteria workers, teacher assistants and aides, nurses and healthcare technicians." The January 2017 issue of NYSUT United, a quarterly publications put out by NYSUT, featured a wonderful review of Stoked - 1969. This is the review as it appears on page 11:

Stoked - 1969

Recommended by: Francine Silverblank, Professor Emerita, Dowling College, Retiree Council 37 Suitable for: age 12 to adult. Why I chose this book: This book is a five-star, tender and moving read. Jake, an astute, competent 14-year-old, finds life hard because he constantly has to contend with his learning disability - dyslexia. He wants to be able to read, be accepted by his classmates and be like everyone else. His story draws in teen readers with significant issues of trying to keep a weakness hidden, being different, being bullied, friendship and academic and social difficulties. What I liked best: The book deals with a teen's disability and a singular time in American history - the Vietnam War. The peak of the United States' involvement occurred in the President Lyndon B. Johnson administration, including 1969, when this story takes place. TV exposed people to daily images of war's death and destruction for the first time. Few people understood what was happening and why it was happening, and the result was political turmoil. Some thought joining the armed forces was patriotic; others thought the opposite, and protested the war. Through credible, understanding characters, and plausible winning dialogue, Forst brings to life this tumultuous period in our history with relevance for today's teens. How teachers can use this book: The discussions that can follow are loyalty, patriotism, civil disobedience, our responsibilities and rights under the U.S. Constitution, zero tolerance for bullying, being proud of one's uniqueness and the idea that we are all the authors of our own life stories. A teacher's page at www.heleneforst.com encourages students to make thoughtful connections between literature and life, an important strategy for reading comprehension. "Check it Out" features books recommended to teachers and parents by school librarians and other educators.