PB Town Council and Ocean Park Inn raising funds to promote ocean safety

PACIFIC BEACH For the third consecutive year the Pacific Beach Town Council and the Ocean Park Inn are teaming up to raise for ocean safety and awareness Now through July all money from the joint fundraising event will go toward installing new rip-current warning signs in Pacific Beach These critical signs will alert beachgoers to dangerous currents helping to prevent accidents save lives and assist lifeguards San Diego Lifeguard Chief James Gartland was appreciative of the effort We are extremely humbled and honored to be recognized and identified by the locality for this fundraising event he explained All of the items they are proposing will assist San Diego Lifeguard operations and make our beaches a safer and better place During summer PB attracts international tourists numerous of whom may be unfamiliar with ocean safety That s where well-placed easy-to-understand signage is critical The new rip current safety signs will be installed in strategic high-traffic areas identified by San Diego lifeguards to ensure maximum visibility and educational utility Clear warnings simple graphics and multilingual messaging are all elements being considered to reach as several people as attainable Rip currents are channelized currents of water flowing away from shore at surf beaches They typically form at breaks in sandbars and also near structures such as jetties and piers The United States Lifesaving Association reports that rip currents account for over of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards There are also more than deaths each year in the U S attributed to rip currents The charity fundraiser was officially launched on World Oceans Day on June a global event highlighting the importance of oceans and the need to protect them The observance celebrates the ocean s vital role in sustaining life raising ocean awareness and inspiring action to conserve and sustainably manage marine support Matching ocean charity fundraiser sponsors include Belmont Park OMG Hospitality Group Surfer Beach Hotel and Firehouse PB along with the Ocean Park Inn Ocean Park Inn will be matching every donation dollar-for-dollar throughout the campaign Last year s campaign raised approximately directly supporting improvements throughout PB This year s goal reflects the increasing need for more advanced safety measures along the shoreline This is something we do every year with PB Town Council and the business and local district announced Elvin Lai fourth-generation owner-operator of boutique Ocean Park Inn at Grand Ave We all come together to do a matching benefit event Years before we matched in donations This year for every donated to PBTC the participating businesses will match every dollar up to Added Lai As a beachfront property Ocean Park Inn sees the ocean s beauty and its feasible dangers every day We re proud to assistance a project that directly benefits the safety of our region and the guests and locals who visit PB year-round PBTC president Charlie Nieto expanded on the new signage being funded These rip current signs are something our local lifeguards specifically requested and that says everything Their insight drives our actions he revealed With Ocean Park Inn s partnership and society backing we re confident we can make our beach safer for everyone this summer Nieto stated this year s annual ocean benefit event which started two years ago on Earth Day is taking donations to a higher level Kicking it off on World Oceans Day the society s donations will be matched by all five participating businesses making it a five-to-one match he commented Right now we re at in donations to raise by July This initiative is just one part of both Ocean Park Inn and PBTC s broader commitment to population tuition beach stewardship and residents safety Over the past several years both organizations have collaborated on projects ranging from beach cleanups and sustainability events to local fundraisers and holiday activations This year s ocean charity fundraiser benefiting lifeguards is something of a prelude to them being honored by PBTC on Sept at the th annual Police and Urgency Services Appreciation Night PAESAN which is a -plus year tradition featuring a society barbecue and awards ceremony honoring first responders The event rotates among lifeguards firefighters park rangers and police Typically PBTC purchases items that are needed for first responders but which are not funded by the current city budget This year s ocean safety charity fundraiser has a special connection to PAESAN given that this is the year of lifeguards being honored announced Nieto He added that new riptide signage will help alert and educate the masses not only about the danger of rip currents but about the hard work of lifeguards on multiple levels The campaign will culminate in a society celebration on Tuesday Sept where a ceremonial check will be presented to the city s Lifeguard Division in honor of their continued arrangement and dedication Donations can be made here For more information visit oceanparkinn com and pbtowncouncil org