The city increases to 44 the number of rescue and lifeguard personnel who will be deployed by sea and land along the entire coastline
Benidorm will strengthen beach cleaning, lifeguarding, and security measures starting June 1st for the start of the high season
The Local Police will have 32 officers in the Beach Section and will carry out coastal surveillance from the air
Starting this Sunday, June 1st, Benidorm City Council will increase its cleaning, lifeguard, and security services on beaches to mark the start of the high season. This special operation will continue, as usual, until September 30th. Councillor for Beaches and Environment, Mónica Gómez, noted that "Benidorm's beaches are among the few on the Spanish coast that operate these services year-round. These services are adjusted each season based on the needs and influx of users, and in summer, this translates into a significant increase in staff."
According to Gómez, the lifeguard and rescue service will extend its hours, operating from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in June; while in July, August, and September, it will operate from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. According to the councillor, the team will be staffed by 44 people per day, distributed as follows: nine lifeguards at Levante Beach and nine at Poniente Beach; two lifeguards at Mal Pas Beach; and one lifeguard at Cala del Ti Ximo and another at l'Almadrava Beach. They will be joined by five nurses at the first-aid stations; a beach manager and a coordinator, who will reinforce surveillance efforts on land; and a lifeboat, with a skipper and a rescuer, who will be on duty from the sea. There will also be four more ambulance personnel.
In addition to all this staff, nine lifeguards will be on duty at the three accessible beach locations: three at Levante Beach, three at Parque de Elche, and another three at La Cala. These locations will also extend their hours starting Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., to make bathing easier for people with mobility issues. Furthermore, the number of operational first-aid stations has been increased to five, distributed along the entire coastline, and the number of ambulances has increased from two to four.
Regarding security, Benidorm City Council will also reinforce its police presence on the beaches and surrounding areas during the indicated dates. To this end, the 32 officers comprising the Local Police Beach Section will be available to patrol the sand on foot, with the two recently incorporated quad bikes, and with scooters in the promenade areas. There will also be reinforcements with patrol cars in the Levante and Poniente areas. Likewise, the Local Police boat will be operational, as will the one belonging to the company that has concessions for the comprehensive management of the beaches and the Local Police Air Unit will also conduct coastal surveillance from the air. In addition, the reinforcements planned by the National Police Force during the summer campaign will be added.
Finally, according to the Beaches Councillor, the human resources of the cleaning service will be increased to at least 24 personnel. Thus, there will be two manual cleaning shifts on the three beaches: one in the morning, from 6:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and another at night, from 8:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., with a total of eight and 16 workers, respectively. In addition to this, mechanical cleaning with tractors and sieves will be carried out: on the shore, between 3:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.; and on the remaining beaches, between 10:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Likewise, during the high season, the sand cleaning will also be carried out from the sea by the Pelican boat.
Regarding the beach libraries, the one already operating in Levante will be joined starting June 1 by the two in Poniente. They will be open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
In addition, the blue rope that has been used for several years in summer to delimit the promenade area along the shore has also been installed, thus ensuring that this strip, approximately 6 meters wide, is clear for bathers to pass through.
Gómez emphasised that "the beaches are our main tourist attraction, and that is why every year we allocate significant municipal resources to provide excellent service to the thousands of people who visit them every day." "These efforts," he emphasised, "are recognised in satisfaction surveys and in the various demanding quality certifications that Benidorm's beaches have earned."
