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Show Task of Protecting Bathers Has Now Been Reduced to Art by Lifesavers Now the lifeguard starts to the rescue before the victim knows he's in trouble! That's how scientific the art of preventing drowning has become on the beaches of Los Angeles county, notes a writer in the Los Angeles Times. And when it works on 40,000,000 persons it must be a good system. Furthermore, if a swimmer gets into trouble, swallows some water, passes out and is dragged ashore, he doesn't have to worry about the lifeguard life-guard sticking a hatpin through or tying a handkerchief around his tongue. The old method of resuscitation resusci-tation is as passe as skirts on a woman's bathing suit. Resucitation is painless nowadays. Lifesaving has become a profession profes-sion Its members are proud and jealous of their status. They won't even let you drown if you want to. That puts a black mark on their records. All these things become apparent as the water warms up, the air grows balmy and the crowds start flocking to the miles of patrolled beaches. From now on the lifeguard has his job cut out for him. He's ready for it. He has to be. Guards are chosen nowadays on such a strict basis that only the best qualified ever get to the point of being paid members of the various vari-ous groups functioning from Long Beach around to the Ventura county line. Rip tides, incidentally, cause 78 per cent of the rescues. And most of the persons who have to be rescued res-cued are men. The women are more cautious and their bodies naturally nat-urally are more buoyant. |