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To Whom it May Concem, 'The recent drowning at Hapuna Beach of a guest from the Hapuna Beach Prince i Hotel necessitates that the Pool and Recreation staff from the hotel and the Hapuna Beach County Lifeguards address several issues involving ocean safety at Hapuna State Beach. Iiapuna is by far the Big Island's most popular beach and it is not uncommon to have as many as fifteen hundred people visit the beach on any given weekend or holiday. Most people tend to stay on the four hundred yard stretch of beach fronting the park, because of showers, restrooms, and other facilities provided. 'this is the area where the County Lifeguards are stationed and they man two lifeguard towers. On a day of normal operation each tower is staffed wkh two lifeguards, for a total of four lifeguards; however it is not uncommon to find these towers understaffed on busy weekends tivith only three lifeguards. The North side of the beach fronting the hotel is about two hundred yards long and is separated by large rocks from the park area and it is accessr~le by walking the narrow shoreline or through the water. The Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel opened in August of 1994 without any lifeguards and continues to be without lifeguard personnel. We must clarify that the Pool and .tecreation staff of the hotel are Red Cross certified in CPR, advanced lifesaving, and emergency response, but are ulxLrequired to perform ocean rescues. The primary duties of a Pool and Recreation Attendant are to service the guest by providing amenities such as: towels, chairs, umbrellas, and playing equipment. Rescues are done on a good Samaritan basis and the employees are not compensated for their efforts. In the last three and a half years there have been approximately two hundred ocean rescues performed by the Pool and Recreation staff, and a large percentage of these rescues were ofpeople not staying at the hotel. The majority of these rescues have been at the very North end of the beach near the rocks. It must be noted that the Pool and Recreation personnel do not have a station or area from which they can perform constant surveillance of the beach and ocean. The present location of the beach kiosk provides no visibility whatsoever of the area near the rocks where most rescues are performed. The nearest Cormty Lifeguard tower is about three hundred yards away from this area of Concem. In addition to the rescues, the Pool and Recreation employees have treated victims of first-aid injuries and accidents that include: Man-O-War stings, dislocated shoulders, and spinal injuries. There have been numerous near drownings and perhaps most importantly two fatalities, both ofwhich were hotel guests. When EMS personnel are called to respond to accidents at the beach in front of the hotel, it is standard procedure for the 911 dispatchers to contact the County Lifeguards to co-respond to these emergencies. The County Lifeguards are able to get to the scene faster than the EMS personnel and they maybe able to provide a higher level of patient care than the hotel Pool and Recreation personnel. In fact County Lifeguards have made over one hundred rescues a year and have had no drownings fronting the park area since providing service at Hapuna Beach starting in 1993. However, short staffing / 70. Q Ooraa? Ha. r 1RL x. ital. Tel Pressnfgd CDUNC.I L t?af. Tiate_. 7'f Pt"y"'.,-...