Lifeguards stopped patrolling a Vancouver beach Tuesday night after crowds at a weekly drum circle became unmanageable and dangerous, according to the park board.
The move was announced in a tweet, with the board saying the decision to stop patrols at 7pm was necessary to ensure the safety of lifeguards and followed an “incident” at Third Beach in Stanley Park earlier this month.
“All those attending the drum circle are warned of the risks associated with unsupervised swimming,” the tweet continued.
EMBEDDING TWEET: In an email, a spokesperson provided more details. On July 12, lifeguards pulled an unconscious man from the water and administered first aid until an ambulance arrived.
“At the time of the incident, the number of people on Third Beach was reported to exceed 4,000,” the statement said.
“Other rescuers on the scene reported being obstructed and harassed by people in the crowd, both physically and verbally, as they attempted to reach the unconscious individual.”
The weekly gathering was described as an “unsanctioned and unsanctioned event” that has attracted increasingly large and unruly crowds to the waterfront in recent weeks. A park board spokesman said it had gotten to the point where rangers and lifeguards could not ensure their own safety or the safety of people participating in the drum circle.
The Vancouver Park Board will meet with the police department and city conservation services to “establish a coordinated approach and long-term strategy to manage the gathering of large crowds and related bylaw violations.”
Following an incident at Third Beach during the unsanctioned Drum Circle earlier this month, lifeguards will cease patrolling at 7pm tonight for their own safety.
All who visit the Drum Circle are warned of the risks associated with unsupervised swimming. pic.twitter.com/amZwksFr6J
— Vancouver Parks and Recreation Board (@ParkBoard) July 26, 2022
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