🏖️ The South Walton Fire District’s Junior Lifeguard Program returns June 2 with a record 200-plus participants.
🌊 Students will learn CPR, first aid, rip current awareness, rescue techniques, and beach safety.
👏 A dozen former Junior Lifeguards are now working as professional beach safety personnel for SWFD
SANTA ROSA BEACH — More than 200 children and teenagers will hit the beaches of South Walton this summer as the South Walton Fire District’s Junior Lifeguard Program returns for its largest season in program history.
The popular beach safety initiative begins June 2. It will once again provide participants with hands-on training in water safety, surf rescue techniques, first aid, and emergency response skills along the Emerald Coast.
According to South Walton Fire District officials, early registration numbers have already set a new record, making 2026 the largest Junior Lifeguard season since the program launched in 2008.
“This program represents so much of what we strive to accomplish in beach safety, like education, prevention, and community engagement,” said Beach Safety Director David Vaughan. “We’re witnessing the long-term impacts of this kind of program commitment in real-time, as we have a dozen former Junior Lifeguards on the beach working for us this season.”
The program serves children ages 9 to 16 and is divided into Foundations and Advanced curriculum tracks, allowing participants to learn based on their age and experience level.
Throughout June and July, South Walton Fire District Beach Safety personnel will lead four separate groups through a curriculum designed to teach critical water safety skills. Participants will learn CPR, first aid, rip-current identification, drowning-prevention strategies, rescue techniques, and beach-warning-flag awareness.
Officials say the program’s impact extends well beyond the beach.
“It’s incredible to watch how the Juniors develop across the three weeks, not just in their skills but in their confidence and how they carry themselves,” said Junior Lifeguard Program Coordinator Brandon Brown. “This is a fun, challenging environment where they can learn those lifesaving skills, gain respect for the Gulf, and leave better prepared to keep themselves and others safe.”
Since its inception, the Junior Lifeguard Program has introduced hundreds of local and visiting children to beach safety principles while fostering teamwork, responsibility and confidence in the water.
South Walton Fire District officials say one of the most rewarding aspects of the program is seeing former participants return to work as professional lifeguards. This summer, a dozen former Junior Lifeguards are serving on South Walton’s beach safety team.
The district will host a media day on June 4 at 10:30 a.m. at Ed Walline Beach Access, where media members can meet participants and beach safety personnel as the season gets underway.
Officials plan to release additional updates and photographs throughout the summer as the program continues.
All photos are credited to the South Walton Fire District.
