Bill > HCRes27

This resolution affirms the critical role of open water lifeguards as first responders and emergency response providers by recognizing their essential life-saving work and the significant risks they face. The resolution highlights that lifeguards are often cross-trained in multiple emergency response skills including medical response, marine fire safety, law enforcement, and water rescue operations, and that they perform four key duties: responding to, treating, assisting, and transporting victims. It notes that lifeguards protect not just human life, but also property, evidence, and the environment, which are hallmarks of first responder roles. The resolution points out that while United States law already recognizes open water lifeguards as first responders, the measure serves to reaffirm their status, particularly in light of their demonstrated importance during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution was partly inspired by the tragic loss of two lifeguards in New Jersey in 2021, and it seeks to underscore the professional and heroic nature of lifeguards' work, drawing parallels to how other countries recognize and support emergency responders.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/27/all-info