Lifeguard training sheds light on HB4477, a water safety education bill making its way through the Michigan House

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- A special lifeguard training session held Monday at Silver Beach in St. Joseph included a kite surfing lesson from stoke riders, water entry activities, and rescue practice.

As kids are wrapping up the school year and families are preparing for vacation, lifeguards are learning the best ways to keep everyone safe. However, there's an effort to bring water safety education beyond the sandy beaches.

"Drowning is a public health issue."

That's why Dave Benjamin; co-founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, taught a group of young lifeguards about water safety education, which he says is lacking in Michigan schools.

"It's standard to have fire drills, tornado drills, school shooter drills, even earthquake drills in many states, and little to no water safety education. Drowning is a big problem on the great lakes, but it's an even bigger problem on inland lakes, ponds and streams," Benjamin explained.

Louisiana is the only state in the country requiring water safety education as part of its curriculum. However, a bill making its way through the Michigan House could change that. House Bill 4477 mandates water safety education for K-8 students, requiring schools to provide age-appropriate instruction as part of physical education courses.

"If water safety is not common sense, you know, how are we going to stop this, you know, epidemic?"

He says often times, the victims are blamed for drowning.

"Drowning is a public health issue. It continues to be neglected. It doesn't get funding for research, education, or outreach. It gets treated like a recreation issue. And then what happens when a drowning happens? The general public, and even sometimes public officials, will blame the victim for drowning at their beach," said Benjamin.

New Buffalo police officer Gavin Ailes is a lifeguard with the department. He comes back every year for the lifeguard training which helps him with his rescues.

"We have to constantly be doing it, and that is a huge part of the job, is the training aspect, because when things happen, it's muscle memory."

Benjamin says the Red Cross pool certificate is the minimum requirement to be a lifeguard on the great lakes, but it's up to each individual beach if they do additional training for the open water surf environment. The open water surf training was for lifeguards from Berrien County, New Buffalo and then Harbor is a private beach that has lifeguards.

As of April, House Bill 4477 has advanced to its third reading and can be viewed here.