SWFD 2026 Beach Safety Season begins Mar 1 with Lifeguard Towers

[Teresa]

South Walton Fire District:

#SWFDNews | Beach Safety season begins Sunday, March 1, 2026, with South Walton Fire District lifeguards returning to their 18 tower locations for daily surf rescue response and coverage.

SWFD lifeguards staff towers March 1 through October 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and respond to emergencies across a 26-mile jurisdiction. Their job duties include providing emergency medical care, rescuing swimmers in distress, conducting proactive water surveillance, public education, and drowning prevention.

“We’re heading into 2026 expecting additional growth for our coverage and our culture,” said SWFD Beach Safety Director David Vaughan. “Not only have we trained hard this off-season, but we’ve taken important steps to recruit, and we’re positioned to bring on an additional tower by the end of Spring Break. The community’s support is going to mean a lot to us as the season gets underway and our call volume picks up.”

This 19th lifeguard tower will be placed at the new Seagrove Beach Regional Beach Access as part of the contractual agreement between the Walton County Tourism Department and SWFD.

As the 2026 season begins, lifeguards encourage residents and visitors to make safety part of every beach day:

Swim near a staffed lifeguard tower. According to the United States Lifesaving Association, the chance of a fatal drowning at a beach protected by USLA-affiliated lifeguards is 1 in 18 million (0.000055%).

Respect the power and unpredictability of the Gulf. Weak swimmers should remain in shallow water or stay on shore.

Know the beach flag warning system. Sign up for beach flag text alerts by texting SAFETY to 31279.

If caught in a rip current, don’t panic. Float to conserve energy, wave for help, and swim parallel to shore if able.

Follow SWFD on social media (@swfdinfo) for real-time beach safety updates.
South Walton Fire District is continuing to hire seasonal lifeguards at $21/hour.

Those interested in joining the team can email career@swfd.org for more information or visit: www.tinyurl.com/SWFDBeachSafetyCareers.

 

[Teresa]

NEW LIFEGUARD TOWER IN SEAGROVE BEACH! South Walton Fire District lifeguards are officially operational from a new tower in Seagrove Beach starting Monday, April 6, following the grand opening of the Seagrove Beach Regional Beach Access.

We are stoked to see this enhanced coverage, medical response capabilities, and improved water supervision take place for the Seagrove area, which is historically busy for us as it relates to emergency call volume.

This lifeguard tower, "Tower 21," will be staffed daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October 31. It will also have a beach wheelchair available throughout the season as the beach access is ADA accessible with a ramp.

With the opening of this new tower, we are officially staffing 19 lifeguard towers across our 26 miles of beach in 2026. There is certainly more room to grow as 26 miles is a lot of beach to cover, but we are grateful for each step taken to provide our lifeguards better response capabilities and an increased presence.

This tower is also part of our contractual agreement with Visit South Walton to provide professional lifeguard services at all Regional Beach Accesses. This partnership has been in place since the inception of SWFD Beach Safety in 2006 and is funded through Tourism Development Taxes.

Thank you to Walton County Tourism for your support and to all Beach Operations staff who have facilitated the opening of our new tower. We are hopeful for a great and safe 2026 season, remember to always #SwimNearALifeguard!