Date: 10 Feb 2026
Recruitment now open for the 2026 Beach Lifeguard Season
Here at Donegal County Council we are very fortunate to have a fantastic team of Lifeguards each season and this year we are looking to expand and bring in new team members.
It is an opportunity for young people to engage with their communities becoming a strong role model and pillar in their area. It is a great way to meet new people and really adds to someone’s C.V. A Lifeguard is someone who has been trained to provide supervision of activities at public bathing areas to prevent minor and major incidents including drowning incidents. A Lifeguard is a person that has been trained to provide emergency rescue service in the case of incidents, and they are someone who has been trained how to render First Aid when necessary, ranging from minor incidents to major incidents.
Our Lifeguards bring excellent personal qualities to the role such as being responsible, physically fit, strong swimmers, mature, observant and committed to the role. They have fantastic skills not just in their swimming ability but also in their communication skills, interpersonal skills, rescue skills, first aid and CPR skills and the use of a wide variety of rescue equipment. Finally, they have a great knowledge and understanding of their local areas and sea, knowledge of water safety, their legal responsibilities, lines of communication within the organisation, how to prevent incidents and knowledge of how the local weather may affect their beach and the safety of its users.
A typical day for our Lifeguards would begin with first checking on the conditions at their beach, setting up their patrol zones and ensuring that the correct flags are flown. Red and Yellow flag meaning Lifeguards on duty and it is safe to swim or Red flag meaning Lifeguards are on duty however it is unsafe to enter bathing area. They will also alert the supervisor and the Coastguard that they have started their shift. Next the Lifeguards will carry out a Beach inspection, this ensures that the area where the public will be is clean and safe for use. Any rubbish or hazards will be cleared away. They will also carry out a check on their equipment to ensure that it is in correct working order and that their first aid stocks are adequate. From here on they will engage with the public via patrols both on land and in water to provide advice on tides, facilities and weather/water conditions. Also informing them of any by-laws and that they comply to them. If the beaches are quite then the Lifeguards will engage with training to make sure that their skill set is kept sharp. It is also an opportunity when beaches are quite for the Lifeguards to go on litter picks keeping in line with our Blue Flag standards. Any First Aid or Rescue must also be reported and documented in both digital and written format. Once the shift has finished the Lifeguards will make sure that rescue kit is stored back ready for the following day, flags are lowered, and Coastguard and supervisor are notified that the Lifeguard Station has gone off duty for the evening.
Last season our Lifeguards did a stellar job of being proactive and reducing the need for rescues. However, there were a total of four incidents where the Lifeguards needed to carry out rescues. In all incidents the training provided to the Lifeguards enabled them to react quickly and take control of the situations. Working as a team, the Lifeguards attended to the casualties while also reassuring any family members, keeping them calm while also making sure that the correct emergency services had been contacted, and ensured all relevant information and location was passed on allowing the emergency services to respond promptly. Thanks to the Lifeguards’ quick actions all incidents were managed correctly, and minor incidents were prevented from escalating into major ones.
Looking forward to the coming season we are excited about having such a dedicated team back on Donegal’s beaches, keeping the public safe.
We are currently recruiting for the 2026 Beach Lifeguard Season. Applications can be found at www.donegalcoco.ie/en/recruitment/ and must be submitted before 12noon on Monday 23rd February 2026.
