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Los Angeles County Lifeguards

Lifeguards, Los Angeles County, Redondo Beach

Lifeguard Operations at Redondo Beach. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.


The Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division is responsible for providing lifeguard services for public beaches and coastal areas of Los Angeles County. The Department deploys 172 full-time and more than 567 seasonal lifeguards operating out of four sub-headquarters located in Hermosa, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, and Zuma Beach. From 24 lifeguard stations and 159 lifeguard towers, they watch over 72 miles of Southern California coastline and Santa Catalina Island, including 31 miles of public beaches. In addition to providing beach safety, Los Angeles County lifeguards provide rescue boat operations, underwater rescue and recovery, swift-water rescue, cliff rescue, marine mammal rescue and marine firefighting. They also provide paramedic and rescue boat services to Catalina Island, operating from Avalon and the Isthmus. Its eight full-time rescue boats operate from Baywatch Cabrillo (Los Angeles Harbor), Baywatch Catalina (Avalon and the Isthmus), Baywatch Malibu (Malibu Pier), Baywatch Del Rey (Marina Del Rey), and Baywatch Redondo (Redondo Beach King Harbor).

Statistics

Year Ocean Rescues Medical Calls Boat Rescues (Distress) Missing Persons Resuscitations Drownings Beach Attendance
2021 9,286 13,303 435 634 112 3 51,869,968
2020 9,666 15,134 523 685 92 3 62,963,309
2019 10,057 14,849 393 758 110 2 50,697,049
2018 11,242 15,646 423 1,046 155 4 56,045,125
2017 9,866 16,687 358 1,170 241 0 63,188,840
Year Ocean Rescues Medical Calls Boat Rescues (Distress) Missing Persons Resuscitations Drownings Beach Attendance
2016 12,956 15,605 473 1,178 317 4 55,950,559
2015 15,917 18,610 434 1,756 468 5 72,556,890
2014 15,851 19,133 444 1,673 559 2 73,882,107
2013 9,745 16,437 382 1,280 612 3 71,367,580
2012 7,784 16,831 509 1,478 766 1 76,298,601
Year Ocean Rescues Medical Calls Boat Rescues (Distress) Missing Persons Resuscitations Drownings Beach Attendance
2011 8,352 15,156 558 1,191 597 1 61,542,422
2010 7,029 15,625 559 954 614 1 57,070,425
2009 12,686 15,979 673 1,621 731 2 70,266,546
2008 12,282 14,578 688 1,401 536 1 59,636,340
2007 10,237 12,899 905 1,123 769 0 50,106,388
Year Ocean Rescues Medical Calls Boat Rescues (Distress) Missing Persons Resuscitations Drownings Beach Attendance
2000 11,765 20,354 928 1,533 481 1 53,908,751
1995 5,824 6,464 963 1,547 524 4 41,725,117
1990 8,561 8,139 1,104 2,073 582 3 56,337,739

Source: Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division


Life guards at Venice Beach, circa 1915-1920. Courtesy of the George Grantham Bain Collection & the Library of Congress.


Los Angeles County Fire's Lifeguard Division is the largest professional lifeguard operation in the world.


The television series Baywatch, debuted in 1989, was modeled after the Los Angeles County Fire Lifeguard Division.


Before July 1, 1994, the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors oversaw county lifeguard operations.