Area lifeguards are allowed to conduct rescues outside their "zones".
In the wake of an incident involving a South Florida lifeguard who was fired for leaving his section of the ocean to rescue a drowning swimmer, Palm Beach County's lifeguards want to set the record straight.
They say something like that could not happen here. The Palm Beach Post reports Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue hires 50 full time and 24 part time lifeguards to cover 13 beach parks from jupiter Island to Boca Raton.
The agency makes provisions in its policy for lifeguards to conduct rescues outside the "guarded" areas of the beach. That lifeguard is required to alert the other guard on duty, his supervisor and beach-goers that he will be making an emergency rescue outside the guarded area, so backup can be put in place.
On beaches in oceanfront cities like Boynton Beach or Boca Raton, those municipalities also have their own individual ocean rescues.
