{"id":22553,"date":"2023-08-04T05:49:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T09:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=22553"},"modified":"2023-08-04T05:49:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T09:49:31","slug":"no-more-green-flags-brick-lifeguards-have-adopted-a-new-color-system-for-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2023\/08\/no-more-green-flags-brick-lifeguards-have-adopted-a-new-color-system-for-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"No More Green Flags? Brick Lifeguards Have Adopted A New Color System for Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script id=\"5d766b3570ea449faf1b5330724bbb37\">(new Image()).src = 'https:\/\/capi.connatix.com\/tr\/si?token=e6ca17a0-9f6c-402e-8f17-7db2585f0eb0&cid=209cb62d-f20d-41b1-885d-a317d66dc464';  cnx.cmd.push(function() {    cnx({      playerId: \"e6ca17a0-9f6c-402e-8f17-7db2585f0eb0\",      mediaId: \"77d3ab60-22f4-439c-b2eb-f58bd9df0232\"    }).render(\"5d766b3570ea449faf1b5330724bbb37\");  });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a perfect summer day \u2013 not just mild with low humidity, but light winds and calm seas \u2013 but the flags flying over Brick Township\u2019s ocean beaches are yellow, not green.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22556\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22556\" class=\"size-large wp-image-22556\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A single-yellow flag flies at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-22556\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A single-yellow flag flies at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Is there something afoot? A rip current? A tropical system on its way? Not so, officials say. Instead, the use of flags to indicate water safety have changed with the times, and local communities in Ocean and Monmouth counties have been among the first to adopt new standards set forth by the United States Lifeguard Association, an organization that certifies and accredits lifeguard squads across the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe change actually took place during the summer,\u201d explained Rob Brown, deputy Chief Lifeguard for Brick Township, during an online chat with Mayor Lisa Crate. \u201cWe started the summer, for a couple weekends, using green flags, and then the United States Lifeguard Association \u2026 came out with new guidelines just in early-to-mid June.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crate said it was one of the first things she and her family noticed when they went to the beach this season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI noticed this year when we went, there wasn\u2019t ever really a green flag,\u201d she said. \u201cIt used to be green, yellow or red, and we could kind of figure out how the waves were today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Green flags, Brown said, \u201csignify the water is safe to swim, and in the ocean, the water is never truly safe to swim.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22557\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9060-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22557\" class=\"size-large wp-image-22557\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9060-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Lifeguard equipment at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9060-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9060-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9060-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9060-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9060-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-22557\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lifeguard equipment at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The lifeguarding association suggested several alternatives and, Brown explained, the chiefs of squads in Ocean and Monmouth counties met together to agree upon a new system that would implement the advice they received uniformly from beach-to-beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of the chiefs got together and decided to add a tiered system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yellow and Red Only?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While green flags have been shown to instill in swimmers a false sense of security, there is also the possibility that yellow flags could lead some beachgoers to believe there is a specific danger on a given day. That potential led to a tiered system, which is explained by signs at beach entrances.<\/p>\n<p>Beachgoers, at the entrance point, will find a yellow flag, a \u201cdouble yellow\u201d flag, a red flag and a \u201cdouble red\u201d flag. Each have their own meaning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to see a yellow flag most days, and the days when you used to see a \u2018normal\u2019 yellow flag, you\u2019ll see two flags,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22558\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9064-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22558\" class=\"size-large wp-image-22558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9064-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A single-yellow flag flies at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9064-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9064-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9064-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9064-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9064-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-22558\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A single-yellow flag flies at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A single yellow flag advises swimmers to exercise general caution: \u201cYou can swim in the water with no restrictions [beyond normal beach rules], you can use boogie boards, free-swim where you\u2019d like,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A double-yellow flag indicates that swimming is allowed, but with some sort of restriction due to rough seas or a change in the ocean environment that day that makes a particular activity more hazardous than usual.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example, we might remove boogie boards, we might keep you waist-deep in the water or limit where you can swim if there\u2019s a rip current,\u201d said Brown.<\/p>\n<p>A single red flag indicates rough water, but not a total closure of the beach. Swimmers will usually be allowed to go to the water\u2019s edge, ankle deep and splash some water to get cool, but not enter for normal swimming.<\/p>\n<p>A \u201cdouble red\u201d means conditions are so poor that guards may not be on duty and swimming is not allowed. This may occur when there is an active storm or very rough surf. Sometimes, in these conditions, guards are still on-duty, but only to ensure no one enters the water. This usually occurs during the onset of a tropical system, when the weather may be sunny, but the ocean is extremely dangerous.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22555\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9050-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22555\" class=\"size-large wp-image-22555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9050-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Lifeguard equipment at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9050-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9050-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9050-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9050-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9050-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-22555\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lifeguard equipment at Brick Beach III, Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIf there\u2019s a tropical storm coming up, say 12 to 14 foot waves, there would be double red flags and you would not be able to pass our lifeguard stands,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Extra Protection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to the tiered flag system, most local communities \u2013 especially in northern Ocean County \u2013 have adopted lightning detection systems following the tragic death of a South Seaside Park lifeguard in 2021 due to a lightning strike. There are two such systems on the market \u2013 one type is used in Brick Township and the other is used in Toms River Township and Lavallette that are networked together. Seaside Park has also installed the system this season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur system will detect any cloud-to-ground lightning through the flash itself, as well as the ions that releases, and it\u2019s specifically pointed to our location at the beach,\u201d said Brown. \u201cIt\u2019s not pointed back to a station in Manchester or Tinton Falls, where a lot of the weather stations are located.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smartphone apps with lightning alerts generally use ionic data from weather stations that detect \u201ccloud to cloud\u201d lightning, but the live detection systems at the beaches utilize optical sensors to detect cloud-to-ground strikes from as far as 20 miles away. At 10 miles, an alert tone sounds and a strobe light flashes, signaling swimmers to exit the water. Guards must wait 30 minutes from the last alert before allowing swimmers to re-enter. Another alarm sounds when lightning strikes are detected from 5 miles away.<\/p>\n<p>Brown said guards have also been aided by a factor less commonly realized by most visitors \u2013 the color of bathing suits worn by swimmers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose flourescent bathing suits, the yellows and oranges, something that is easily visible both in and out of the water \u2013 something that can catch your eye really quickly and reflect easily in the water \u2013 is better than a typical blue bathing suit,\u201d he said. \u201cThose colors get muted out in the ocean really quick.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The full interview between Crate and Brown can be found in the video embedded below, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XjkPmAiA5iY\">or at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XjkPmAiA5iY?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Brown also speaks about child water safety, junior lifeguarding programs, and similar topics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fcbkbttn_buttons_block\" id=\"fcbkbttn_left\"><div class=\"fb-share-button fcbkbttn_large_button \" data-href=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2023\/08\/no-more-green-flags-brick-lifeguards-have-adopted-a-new-color-system-for-safety\/\" data-type=\"button_count\" data-size=\"large\"><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a perfect summer day \u2013 not just mild with low humidity, but light winds and calm seas \u2013 but the flags flying over Brick Township\u2019s ocean beaches are yellow, not green. Is there something afoot? A rip current? A tropical system on its way? Not so, officials say. Instead, the use of flags to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,2,20],"tags":[465,394,24,4484,5004,168,5003],"class_list":["post-22553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-brick","category-government","category-shore-environment","tag-brick-beach-i","tag-brick-beach-iii","tag-brick-nj-news","tag-featured","tag-green-flag","tag-lifeguards","tag-yellow-flag","post_format-post-format-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_9055-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgt2Ft-5RL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}