Daytona Beach Lifeguards

On May 22, 1931, the American National Red Cross issued its second charter for a life preserving organization to the Daytona Beach Red Cross Life Saving Corps. Composed of 30 young men aged 17 to 26 and trained in lifesaving and first aid, this volunteer corps protected 3 miles of beach, compiling daily records of the number of bathers, weather, first aid, and rescues. The neighboring communities of Ormond Beach and New Smyrna Beach maintained their own lifesaving units, and Volusia County monitored the remaining coastline. By 1972, these four corps had united, and the Volusia County Beach Patrol became one of the nation's most highly trained surf lifesaving rescue units. Protecting 47 continuous miles of Atlantic coastline, which holds the dubious honor of the shark bite capital of the world, the Volusia County Beach Patrol welcomes 10 million visitors and performs an average of 3,000 rescues annually.

Mention Daytona Beach and most people think of brilliantly painted stock cars roaring past at over 200 miles per hour, or of sun-worshipping beach-goers covering the beaches during spring break. But the Daytona Beach area has a colorful history that reaches back many years before the town became one of the world's key auto racing centers as well as one of the most famous and beautiful beach communities.

Since the 1920s, Daytona Beach has sold itself as “The World’s Most Famous Beach,” which, while not literally true, does suggest a city with a big personality and large plans. The people in these pages contributed to that personality and made those plans. These people include Matthias Day, the Ohio industrialist, educator, inventor, and newspaper editor who founded and gave his name to the new city in 1876; Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of former slaves, who founded the university that bears her name “with five little girls, a dollar and a half, and faith in God”; Bill France Sr., the race driver and promoter who took stock car racing from the beach sands to a state-of-the-art track and built a racing empire; and his son, Bill France Jr., who turned NASCAR into a national pastime. Other notable Daytonans include the builders, writers, artists, rockers, promoters, business founders, educators, journalists, politicians, pioneers, bootleggers, philanthropists, sports stars, and even a dog that made the city what it is today. They come to life in historical photographs from the Halifax Historical Museum, the Florida Archives, and files of the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

The World Health Organization’s recently published Global Report on Drowning found that drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide—making the information presented in this new book an important part of the global effort to reduce this health risk. Written by leading researchers and academics from around the world, The Science of Beach Lifeguarding focuses on the scientific evidence that underpins what is taught to and practised by beach lifeguards. It is the first book to pull together all the different areas involved in beach lifeguarding and evaluate their evidence base. An accessible and informative reference underpinned by the best current research, the book’s key themes cover the context of beach lifeguarding, the physical environment in which lifeguards work, medical aspects, practical lifeguarding techniques, physiological standards for lifeguards, safety education, and future developments in beach lifeguarding. The book presents groundbreaking work quantifying the scientific rationale behind a universally accepted fitness standard. It supplies an in-depth examination of the risks and hazards associated with the beach environment, including rip currents and cold water immersion. The book includes a state-of-the-art review of drowning and a comprehensive chapter on first aid. Detailing the recently announced 2015 European Resuscitation Council Guidelines, this book is a must-have for beach lifeguards, beach lifeguard managers, search and rescue personnel, paramedics, sports scientists, health and safety practitioners, and occupational health practitioners.

"LEGENDARY SURFERS Volume 3: 1930s" details the surf world of the 1930s, including California, Florida, Hawaii, Australia and Britain. This is not a coffee table book. It is specifically written for surfers who want to know the details of the heritage we are blessed to share, as told by those who lived it.

A vibrant biography of the woman who shaped the political climate of Daytona Beach with her civil rights, women’s rights, and education activism. Mary McLeod Bethune was often called the “First Lady of Negro America,” but she made significant contributions to the political climate of Florida as well. From the founding of the Daytona Literary and Industrial School for Training Negro Girls in 1904, Bethune galvanized African American women for change. She created an environment in Daytona Beach that, despite racial tension throughout the state, allowed Jackie Robinson to begin his journey to integrating Major League Baseball less than two miles away from her school. Today, her legacy lives through a number of institutions, including Bethune-Cookman University and the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation National Historic Landmark. Historian Ashley Robertson explores the life, leadership and amazing contributions of this dynamic activist.

compiled and written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration for the state of Florida ... sponsored by state of Florida Department of Public Instruction.