12:30pm Thursday 26th November 2009
A Pembrokeshire lifeguard has just returned to the county after passing on his knowledge and expertise to lifeguards in Brittany, France.
Phil Davies is the RNLI's deputy divisional lifeguard manager for Wales and is based at RNLI’s area support centre in Pembroke.
He is responsible for helping oversee the RNLI’s lifeguarding operation in Wales, which was trialled in Pembrokeshire last year before being rolled out in Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
Phil spent nine days with the French equivalent of the RNLI, the SNSM, helping to run and facilitate an advanced lifeguard course in Brittany.
‘In France, there are approximately 400 deaths at sea from drowning, of which 150 can be directly linked to drowning from the beach," said Phil.
"It was extremely useful to be able to offer the skills and training which the RNLI have provided me with and pass on my knowledge and experience to our counterparts in France.
‘The course was very intense and covered areas from swimming with a rescue tube, reel and line, board paddling techniques, surf swimming and body surfing, beach hazard identification and patrol techniques.
"We also covered working with helicopters and lifeboats, communications and working with the coastguard.’ For the past three years, the RNLI has sent staff abroad to assist the SNSM (Societie Nationale Sauvitage en Mer) with training.
The SNSM, which provides both lifeboat and lifeguard services was formed in 1967. The organisation has a range of craft in their fleet including inshore and all-weather lifeboats, operating from 229 stations.
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