Locals call for lifeguards as Kincardine increases beach safety

Tuesday was a beautiful day along Kincardine’s shoreline, but a closer look shows dangerous swimming conditions that most people are oblivious to.

“It’s not a constant danger, it’s dynamic. And because it’s dynamic, it’s not always present, which makes it a complicated thing to protect people against,” said Meagan Fair, a resident pushing for increased safety along Kincardine’s shoreline.

The Municipality of Kincardine is trying to walk a fine line when it comes to safety at their beach and the danger presented by rip currents that are prevalent along a section of Station Beach.

They still want summer tourism, but they have gone so far as to actively discourage people from using the north and south pier and a large section of public beach near the south pier where those rip currents can occur.

“We no longer groom that portion of the beach. We’ve taken out areas of seating where people normally came down to watch the sunset and moved that seating further south. We’ve certainly gotten away from doing any beach grooming at this area,” said Kincardine’s Director of Community Services Jayne Jagelewski.

New “no swimming” signs along a section of Station Beach in Kincardine, seen on July 16, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Along with those changes, four new extendable ladders on the piers and eight new lifesaving stations on the piers are part of Kincardine’s $92,000 worth of beach and pier safety upgrades implemented, largely this summer.

“We know that the Great Lakes are an invitation to adventure, but it comes with a risk,” said Kincardine Mayor Ken Craig.

Kincardine’s shoreline safety upgrades are a direct response to the 13 drownings and near-drownings along their pier and beachfront since 2008. Most of those drownings and near-drownings were a result of someone either jumping off or being swept off the piers and into dangerous rip currents.

A local group of volunteers calling themselves ‘Kincardine Beach Safety’ has started monitoring and posting updates on dangerous swimming conditions online. While the organization is pleased to see so many safety upgrades at Kincardine’s Station Beach, they believe at least one thing is still missing.

Rip Current warning sign at Kincardine’s Station Beach, seen on July 16, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“An ideal state would be to have lifeguards. People that are actually trained and equipped to respond in the event that someone ends up in danger. But, we know we’re not there yet. It takes time, and it’s not something that will happen overnight,” said Fair, who volunteers with Kincardine Beach Safety.

“We recognize that there are lifeguards at different beaches along the Lake Huron shoreline. We’ve chosen to take more of the education route. We encourage people to take swimming lessons, learn about the water’s power, educate themselves,” said Jagelewski.

Everyone can agree that recent vandalism to some of the new safety equipment in Kincardine is dangerous and could end up costing someone their life.

To learn more about Kincardine Beach Safety, and their beach condition updates, you can visit them on Facebook.

Eight new lifesaving stations installed on Kincardine’s piers this summer, seen on July 16, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)