What's Happening in Poway, CA…

After several years of construction, a new, state-of-the-art lifeguard station opened recently in Mission Beach. It replaces a wooden tower that was built early in the 1970s, and carries a price tag of almost $5m.

The three-story structure is approximately 100 yards north of the site of the previous tower, and overlooks the beach and the Mission Bay Channel jetty. The station has jurisdiction from the Mission Bay Channel to San Fernando Place further north. If necessary, lifeguards can respond to emergencies at the jetty and in the channel. Officials can use brochure printing to create handouts to explain the functions available at the new station.

Although some residents felt the old tower should be refurbished, Dana Vanos, president of the San Diego Lifesaving Association, explained the features of the new station are far superior, and that the new station not only has a larger storage area for equipment, but also has a first-aid area sufficient in size to enable proper treatment.

Vanos also said the windows have been designed to give the lifeguards a better view of the channel and the jetty to the south, and the area to the north. In addition, binoculars have been mounted on a pivoting arm, similar to the ones used by dentists, that can be placed in a specific position and will remain there.

There are between 500 and 700 water rescues each year at South Mission Bay.